Together in Arms
by DeathDealer1997
Summary: AU Artemis Crock has trained hard, year after grueling year, but now it finally pays off as she finally reaches her goal, joining SEAL Team 5 and placing herself in history as the first female SEAL. Main pairing Spitfire. M for a lot of reasons
1. Pilot

Lt. Artemis Crock rushed through the hallways of Fort Riley Military Base, occasionally getting a pat on the back coupled with 'today's the day' from her fellow soldiers

She walked up to the door to Captain Oliver Queen's office and knocked

"Enter." Said the voice inside

Artemis walked in, saluting her commanding officer

"Lt. Crock," said Captain Queen, checking his watch "Precisely on time, as always."

"You know me sir, I like precision." Said Artemis

"Take a seat." Said Captain Queen

Artemis sat down while the captain pulled out a dossier

"Lt. Artemis Crock signed up for SEAL training and made top of her class in 2 short months, expert marksmen and martial artist." Said Captain Queen "Now here's what the dossier doesn't say. You're one of the toughest troops to ever walk into my office, no _the _toughest troop, your will is unmatched. When you first walked into SEAL training I'll admit I had my doubts, as did everyone, but you proved us wrong and earned every bit of respect we give you, and more, even if _some people _don't like to admit it…"

Then there was a knock at the door

"Enter." Said Captain Queen

Lt. Roy Harper walked in and saluted

"Hey Roy, we were just talking about you." Said Artemis with a scowl

"That's _Lt. Harper_ to you, Crock." Said Roy

Artemis was about to snap back before Captain Queen intervened

"That's enough, both of you. Lt. Harper wait outside until I call you in." said Captain Queen

"Yes sir." Roy saluted then left to room, being sure to glare at Artemis on the way out

"As I was saying," said Captain Queen "What it also doesn't say on the dossier is how dedicated and strong you are in everything you do, you're reflexes are sharp, your mind sharper, and your skills unmatched. It _does _however say, as of right now, you passed. Congratulations Lt. Artemis Crock, you're a SEAL."

Artemis' excitement was practically glowing off of her but she kept her composure

"Thank you, sir!" she said

"Don't thank me, you _earned _this. As both your commanding officer and your friend, I'm very proud of you."

He pulled a paper out of his desk and handed it to her

"Here are your new orders and your new boss, now go get some extra training in then some rest, you'll need it for tomorrow. Dismissed."

Artemis stood up and saluted, then walked out

"Oh and send Lt. Harper in on your way out." Said Captain Oliver

"Yes sir." Said Artemis

Artemis stepped out and turned to Roy

"Hey Harper, he's ready for you." She said

They glared at each other as Roy stepped in, after the door was closed she waited to the side, she had to see his expression

After a few minuets Roy stepped out, anger was clear on his face

"Aww, did someone not make the cut?" taunted Artemis

"Not sure what you're so happy about, it's not like you did!" growled Roy

"Actually," said Artemis, holding up her papers. Roy stared at the papers dumbfounded, and Artemis loved the look on his face. His archenemy made the cut and he didn't while through all of training he would always act sexist to her even after she had proved herself, talk about a blow to his self-esteem

"Now if you'll excuse me, I want to get some training in before I'm sent off, cya later _Lt. Harper." _Said Artemis

"Screw you, Crock." Grumbled Roy as she walked away

Artemis' alarm woke her up at 0400

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Artemis' alarm woke her up at 0400

She quickly got out of her bunk bed, trying not to wake anyone else up, they didn't have the same orders so were allowed to sleep longer and Artemis knew they needed their sleep

She quickly got dressed and made herself presentable before walking out of the bath room and into the central hallways

Soldiers of almost every rank saluted her as she passed; admiration and respect clear on their faces. She knew why they respected her so much, she had earned it. Artemis Crock was the first _female _Navy SEAL in military history, and she was loving it.

She stepped into the courtyard and headed to the helipad where Captain Queen was already waiting

On the way, she saw Roy walking towards a helicopter

"Where are you off to, Harper?" she said with a smirk, she probably wasn't going to let him live this down for a long time

"Vietnam, infiltrating a camp." Said Roy, grinding his teeth

"Hmm, seems a little bland to me, but I guess every has their own standards."

Roy glared at her, then smirked

"I guess it would be for you, you're too used to scenarios where certain fathers paralyze their wives then leaves their daughter to die with all her limbs broken."

Artemis glared at him intensely and he knew he struck a nerve

"You don't get to talk about my family!" she growled

"Or what?" smirked Roy

"Fuck! You!" She growled then walked to the landing pad, where Captain Queen was waiting

"Lt. Crock." Said Commander Queen

"Sir." Said Artemis, saluting

They stood side-by-side, waiting for the helicopter that would take her to her new life, and away from her old one

_"Next stop, SEAL HQ, a.k.a. The Island_

When they made it to The Island Artemis understood why it was called that. It was literally an island in the middle of the pacific ocean, the entire base was inside a mountain. When they got closer Artemis was sure they were about to crash, but then giant hanger doors opened in the side of it

"Fancy, huh?" said Oliver, Artemis nodded her head

As soon as the both of them were on the ground the pilot took off

"They've known that they were getting a new member for a pretty long time, I'm sure they're just dying to meet you." Said Oliver

"I'm dying to meet them, sir." Said Artemis confidently

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

"So the new guys finally joining." Said Conner, punching a dummy

"Betcha I already know who it is." Said Wally, sharpening the tip of a dart

"And who would that be?" said Robin, also sharpening a dart

"Roy, obviously." Said Wally

"You're only saying that cause you miss him." Said Robin

"Well we haven't heard from him in a long time, and he's the best marksmen like, ever. Of course he'll make the cut." Said Wally "I mean, who else could?"

"So, whoever looses gives their next lunch to the other." Said Robin

"You're on." Said Wally, aiming at the board

Every dart it the first ring

"Top that, birdie." Said Wally

"Just wait." Said Robin, aiming

2 hit the first ring and the third hit the bulls-eye

"And that's how the cookie crumbles." Snickered Robin

"Aw man, you know I need my food!" said Wally

Then 3 darts went at the dart, all hit the bull's-eye

"I win, so what was the bet?" said a female at the door

All eyes turned to see her

"Who are…" Wally began until Captain Oliver and Admiral Wayne walked in

"Officer on deck!" shouted Robin, everyone stepping into a salute

"At ease." Said Captain Oliver, everyone relaxing "So as you know, this team is getting a new member."

"So, when's he getting here? And who's this?" Said Wally, taking a drink of his water

"Lt. Artemis Crock, your new teammate." Said Artemis

Wally choked on the water and it fell out of his mouth and all over the floor

"Y-you're our new teammate?" said Wally "Come on sir, you have to be joking!"

"I _never _joke." Said Admiral Wayne, shutting Wally up "You're all going to be spending a lot of time together, get acquainted in the shooting range. And where is Commmander Ahm and Advisor Zatara?"

"Commander Ahm is already in the shooting range, Advisor Zatara is running some calibrations on the system computers." Said Robin

"Ok, Sergeant Kent make sure she makes it to the shooting range." Said Admiral Wayne, then he and the Captain left

Conner left to get Zatanna, while everyone else went to go meet Artemis

"So…you're the newbie." Said Robin, who extended his hand "Private 2nd Class Richard Grayson, but my friends call me Robin. That guy who left was Sergeant Conner Kent and this is Private 1st Class Wally West."

"Your name is Wally?" chuckled Artemis

"Yeah, it is." growled Wally, his hostility taking Artemis by surprise

"Don't mind him, he's just upset cause you're here instead of Roy." Robin assured her

"Wait, Roy as in Lt. Roy Harper?" said Artemis

"Yeah, ya know him?" said Robin

"That sexist bastard was a pain in my ass through all of SEAL training!" said Artemis

"Hey, no one talks bad about my friends!" yelled Wally

"He's your friend? I am so sorry for you, he must annoy you more than he does me." Said Artemis

Wally was about to snap at her before a voice rang over the intercom

_"If you're done bickering like a couple of teenagers, the shooting ranges, now!" Admiral Wayne's voice rang over the intercom_

None of them wanted to upset that voice, so they all speed walked to the shooting range, Wally and Artemis taking every chance they could to glare at each other

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

A man stood in the viewing room of an operation, taking careful notes

"Any progress." Said another man who entered

"Close, we've almost found a way to implant the chip without killing the subject. It's not the operation itself that kills them, it's how rapidly the effects take place, their bodies can't handle it."

"Have you tried easing them into it."

"That's what we're testing now, a chip that will start making changes slowly, so that the system can adapt to the mutation."

"Alert me immediately after you make progress."

"Yes sir."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

**_A/N—And that's my story, hope you like the idea of them being in the SEALs, I just saw Act of Valor, good movie. Tell me if the characters are OOC, but remember they are in the military so their personalities will have to be at least a little different. I hope I'm getting the ranks right, but I'm not a military expert. I also hope that I got it right on how Artemis became a SEAL, but the only way I could know that would be to become a SEAL and I'm just a random civilian with a computer. Anyway, down below is a list of who is what rank_**

**_Artemis Crock: Luitenenent_**

**_Wally West: Private_**

**_Richard (Robin) Grayson: Private 1st Class_**

**_Conner Kent: Sergeant_**

**_Kaldur Ahm: Commander_**

**_Oliver Queen: Captain_**

**_Bruce Wayne: Admiral_**

**_Zatanna Zatara: Advisor (I know that's not a real rank, but that's the role she plays)_**


	2. Bullets and Greetings

**_Remember that when the lower ranks are off duty then they probably will act a lot less official than when they are on duty since they're all pretty good friends (well, Artemis is new but, she's trying to fit in), so don't get worked up if a Lieutenant is disrespecting the Commander when they're off duty_**

Wally, Artemis, and Robin walked into the shooting range; Kaldur hardly noticed them come in, focused on shooting the targets

"Hey Kal!" yelled Wally

"Is something wrong?" said Kaldur, turning his head towards them

"Nah, we just came to introduce you to the newest member of our team." Said Robin

"Great…where is he?" said Kaldur

"_She _is standing right in front of you." Said Artemis "Lt. Artemis Crock."

Kaldur had a look of shock for about half a second but he dropped it so fast Artemis wasn't even sure she saw it

"Welcome Lt. Crock." Said Kaldur "I am Commander Kaldur Ahm, the team's leader."

"We take our quos from him when Wayne and Zee aren't around to do it." Said Robin

"Wally, you've been silent, is everything all right?" said Kaldur

"Oh yeah, I'm just peachy." Growled Wally, Kaldur was puzzled while Artemis just glared back at the ginger

"So how far does this thing go?" said Artemis, looking at the shooting range

"The furthest range is 100 meters. Although no one has hit 100 since Commander Queen." Said Kaldur

Then Conner and Zatanna walked in

"Hey, the new member is here?" said Zatanna

"Yup." Said Robin, gesturing to Artemis

"I'm Lt. Artemis Crock, best sniper on this side of the planet, you're the adviser right?" Said Artemis

"No way…" Zatanna said awestruck "A woman finally made it into the SEALs…it's about time!"

"Yeah, really wish I got here sooner but, I'm ready."

"So you're a sniper?" said Kaldur

"Guess all it takes is a sniper rifle to have that title these days." snickered Wally

"Hmmm." Artemis put on some ear plugs then walked to one of the stations

"What are you doing?" said Robin "What range I mean."

"100 might give me a _little bit_ of a challenge." Said Artemis

"What! No way you could hit 100, Roy could just barely hit that!" said Wally

"Good thing I'm better than him." Said Artemis, "I could hit a fly at 100 meters, during a rainstorm, while riding a horse…in fact, I actually have before. I'm pretty sure I can hit this."

"If you're so confidant, how about a bet? You hit with all 6 bullets, I'm buying drinks for the team after the next mission, you miss and you're buying."

"You're on!"

Robin shook his head "Be careful there Arty, this guy can drink, a lot."

"Hopefully his wallet is as big as his mouth then." Said Artemis

She fired, 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Then called the target back, not only did she get all 6 headshots, but also the bullet holes painted a little smiley face on it

Artemis put the gun back on the stand and took out the ear plugs then walked up to Wally

"I like my wine all natural Ginger, none of that artificial flavored shit."

There was an awkward silence and then "She is going to fit in really well." Zatanna added

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

"And this is the girl's bunk." Said Zatanna as she guided Artemis in

"Why are there only 2 beds, the last place I served had a whole room full of them." Said Artemis

"Command didn't think that many women would be serving with the SEAL team so they were trying to save money, guess you really put a dent in their plans, huh." Chuckled Zatanna "You can have the bunk on the right, that's the one I use the least."

Artemis set her suitcase at the end of the bed

"If you lift up the mattress, there's a little place for your things, although I stored some of my stuff there before you came so that mine wouldn't get cramped and cluttered." Said Zatanna

"Have you ever tried Space-Saver Bags?" said Artemis opening up the storage compartment

"Please, never listen to commercial advertisements, all they ever do is rip you off." Said Zatanna, moving her clothes to her own bunk "Like this one time, I got an advice book on how to pick up men, didn't work at all."

"Oh, so you have a crush somewhere out there..." Said Artemis, packing her things in her bunk

"Mine and Robin's relationship is strictly professional!" Zatanna panicked

"I didn't even mention Robin." Smirked Artemis

"Well, I uh…" Zatanna blushed "What about you and Wally?"

"Are you kidding me?" Artemis scowled "He's a complete ass, just like his buddy Roy. No wonder they're pals."

Artemis collapsed in her bed and closed her eyes

"Things just went from funny to not so much, I'm going to catch some zzz's

"Get some rest, you're going on a mission in about 4 hours." Said Zatanna

"Really? Where to?" said Artemis, not even bothering to open her eyes

"Congo, Africa." Said Zatanna

"Huh, I've always wanted to visit Africa."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

The team all gathered in the briefing room, Admiral Wayne stood at the front of the room beside Zatanna as a slide showed behind them

"You're target is a man named Jango Loro." Said Admiral Wayne as a picture of Jango showed, it was a pic of him walking onto a plane with some of his friends. He had thick black hair and a short black beard "We have recently found evidence that he has been smuggling prototype weapons to an unknown buyer, he's hold up in a camp deep inside the Congo Basin. Seal Team 5 has been assigned to infiltrate the camp, capture Jango Loro and bring him back for interrogation, and take anything you find that could identify his buyers."

"How important is it that we keep our cover?" said Robin

"It will make your job a lot easier for starters," said Zatanna "And if Jango thinks he's threatened then he'll flee, so it's recommended to have him in custody before even thinking about shooting without a silencer."

"When is our transport going to arrive? And how is extraction going to get us out?" said Kaldur

Robin and Zatanna shared a knowing glance

"Actually, we've been working on a little something…" Said Zatanna

Wally patted Rob on the back "I was beginning to think you'd never find someone to do it with!" said Wally

Robin and Zatanna turned completely red

"We didn't…" said Zatanna

"Wally, shut up!" said Robin

"Wait, are you two still virgins?" said Artemis

Robin and Zatanna just blushed deeper

"Aren't we a little off topic?" said Conner who had been silently listening

"We _are_ off topic! So shut up and listen!" yelled Zatanna, getting everyone's attention, sometimes being in a place of authority really was nice. She cleared her throat and started speaking again "Okay…now if you'll all report to the hanger, now!"

They all walked through the halls just to reach an empty hanger

"Where's our transport?" said Wally

"Just wait," said Robin, smirking

Zatanna stepped forward and spoke to the air

"Adviser Zatanna Zatara!" she yelled

Then an aircraft like none of them had ever seen seemed to appear out of nowhere, a ramp lowering to allow them on board

"Looks like the camo works fine." smirked Robin

"What is that?" said Artemis

"You're new transport, we call it the Bio-Ship." Said Zatanna "Equipped with camouflage, it's own generator that is being constantly refueled by solar power, twin gauss rifle turrets, and uses a visual/voice recognition system so you'll never be impersonated and it will never mistake you for someone else. It can also sense danger approaching and will immediately go into camouflage if it sees unknowns too close." Said Zatanna proudly

"How do we fly it?" said Kaldur

"The Bio-Ship has 3 ways of flight." Said Zatanna "I can remote control it from here, or you can use auto-pilot, and when all else fails you can take control at the center chair. There's a manual right next to the first aid station"

Wally whistled

"Why didn't we get this till now?" said Wally

"Cause it wasn't even designed until just a few months ago." Said Zatanna "Me and Robin designed it, well mostly Robin, I just checked over his work and got my goons to build it."

"She's just being humble." Smirked Robin "We can open the boarding ramp by telling it who we are."

"Now get going!" barked Admiral Wayne "Get on that ship and take a seat, you have a long ride ahead of you!"

The team didn't waist time getting onto the ship while Zatanna watched proudly

"Don't you have somewhere to be?" said Admiral Wayne, looking at her

"Yes sir!" she saluted then ran to the computer room

As the ship took off Zatanna's voice ran through the intercom on the Bio-Ship

_"She'll drop you off 5 klicks from the camp, just on the other side of a lake, approach by water recommended." Said Zatanna_

"Noted adviser, anything else?" said Kaldur

_"Yeah, remember you're flying 3.5 billion dollars right now, bring it back in one piece!"_


	3. Special Operations

"Approaching camp, ETA 30 minuets." Said Kaldur "Get your guns ready."

They all proceeded to check their ammo, turn off the safeties, and test the scopes

"Adviser, any last minuet advice?" said Wally

_"Now that you're closer I can get some thermal scans of the area, there's about 5 people in the camp itself, although there are 7 patrols out that will probably come back if you make too much noise. And the lake empties into a river but try not to use the river as an escape route, it empties into a waterfall about 5 miles south." Said Zatanna_

"Ok, river is bad." Said Wally

_"You're right on top of the drop sight, get ready for descent." Said Zatanna_

"Hey, I've only heard you mutter ten words since we've met, is something wrong?" said Artemis to Conner

Conner shrugged

"He's more a of a strong, silent type." Said Robin "He must really like you, ten words is actually a lot from him in 24 hours."

The ship lowered in the center of a clearing in the woods, just a few yards from the river

They stepped off one-by-one and surveyed the area

"We're clear." Said Wally

"Hey, where's Robin?" said Artemis

They all looked around for the ninja but he was no where to be found

"I really hate when he does the whole ninja thing." Said Wally

Then there was a brief sound of a struggle just a few feet away and Robin came out dragging 2 bodies

"Clear huh?" said Robin

They gathered round the two bodies, Robin picked up their unique gun and took a picture

"Zatanna, sending you a picture, what do you think of this?" said Robin

_"I got the pic, that's one of the prototype weapons that Jango is smuggling." Said Zatanna_

"So the guards are using them." Said Kaldur

_"Yeah, be careful...well, **more** careful."_

"So, what should we do Captain?" said Wally

Kaldur thought a moment

"Robin and Conner, get those uniforms on, Artemis establish a sniping position by the lake, make sure you have a clear view of the docks, Wally you start swimming towards the camp and hide under the docks until my signal." Said Kaldur

"Watch your fire, I don't need a bullet in the back when I'm not looking." Said Wally

"I hit what I aim for, nothing else." Said Artemis

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

"Ok, I'm right under the docks. When approaching I noticed a few boats here, so I think we have our way across the river." Wally whispered through the com-link "There's also a guy right above me, would be helpful to have him out of the way."

"We'll handle it once we're on the inside." Said Robin into his com-link

He and Conner snuck through the trees and into the main courtyard

"Artemis, be ready to shoot, just in case." Said Kaldur

"Understood." Said Artemis

"There's not many guards in the courtyard, but plenty of tire tracks." Said Robin

_"According to the thermal scans most of them are on patrol, but I'm not sure for how long."_

"We'll be quick then." Said Robin

Robin and Conner walked onto the docks and faced the guard, he looked at them questionably and was about to call them before Robin expertly pulled out a combat knife and slit his throat while covering his mouth. He and Conner silently dropped the body in the lake while Wally climbed onto the dock

"Zatanna, can you locate Jango?" said Kaldur

_"No, but he's probably one of the people in the house, I would check there first." Said Zatanna "Guys! Remember the two people walking around the camp, they're approaching your position!"_

"We see them." Said Robin

"Taking them out like this will make too much noise." Said Wally

"Cause a distraction, Artemis get ready to fire." Said Kaldur

Robin and Conner quickly grabbed Wally by the arms and pretended to take him prisoner while the guards approached them, calling in the native language

Robin responded in the same language, explaining that they found a spy in the water and were about to take him to Jango

"Guys, you're in my shot, move out of the way." Said Artemis

The three started moving around the two guards, the moment Artemis had a clear shot she took it, both of them dropping in less than a second

"Robin, Wally and Conner maintain your position, we're moving in." said Kaldur, diving into the water

Artemis strapped her sniper rifle on her back and followed

Once they surfaced at the docks the three others met them

"That went well." Said Wally

"Now all that's left is to capture Jango and take him back to the ship." Said Kaldur

_"You may want to double time it ladies, one of the patrols are coming back, you need to get Jango and go!" said Zatanna_

They quickly ran towards the building

"Artemis and Wally cover the back door, Robin cover the window, Conner and I have the front." Said Kaldur

Everyone scurried to their assigned breaching points, getting ready to barge in

"3…2…1!" said Kaldur, they all broke into the room

Jango's bodyguard grabbed a pistol off the desk and was about to fire before Artemis got a headshot on him, Jango pulled out a gun and aimed franticly

"Stand down! Drop the weapon and put your hands on your head!" yelled Kaldur

Jango was on the verge of panicking, before anyone could do anything he pulled the gun to his head and shouted "For the shadows!" as he blew his brains out

"Damn it," grumbled Kaldur, "Adviser, target is K.I.A."

_"What? How'd that happen?" said Zatanna_

"He shot himself once we had him cornered." Said Artemis

_"What a mess…search the building for something, flash drives, notes, anything that could be used to identify his accomplices." Said Zatanna "And be quick about it, the patrol is almost back, ETA 4 minuets."_

"All right, everyone spread out! Search everything, don't leave anything unnoticed!" ordered Kaldur

While the others searched cabinets and desk, Artemis searched the body

"What are you hoping to get off of that?" said Wally

"You'd be surprised what people will keep on them," said Artemis, finding a book in his back pocket, she flipped through the pages and checked the title "Hey, I found his journal!"

Kaldur walked over and took the book from her

"It's written in constantly changing languages, going to be hell to decode." Said Artemis

"Must have been hell coding is in the first place." Said Robin

_"Guys, you have to go **now! **Two patrols just rolled into the courtyard!" said Zatanna_

Kaldur rushed to the windows and looked out

"Is it just me, or do they look like they already know we're here?" said Wally

"Hey guys," said Conner, flipping over a desk, on the bottom there was a red button "I think that bodyguard hit a silent alarm."

**_"We know you're in there! Come out and drop your weapons!" _**a voice boomed outside, with assistance from a megaphone

"Right, that won't get us shot on sight." Wally muttered sarcasticlly

Robin looked out the window again, mentally scanning the trucks

"Hey Artemis, come here a second," he said, she walked by him and looked out with him "Ya see the gas tanks? If you shoot one of them, the explosion should be strong enough to take out the rest."

"Got it." Said Artemis

"Won't the explosion alert the others?" said Wally

"Their already alerted, genius." Taunted Artemis

"Besides, even if they weren't we'd be on the boats and headed back to the ship before they even got back." Said Robin

"It's not too difficult for you, is it?" said Wally

"You can do whatever you want, but you _can't_ question my aim." Said Artemis, already opening the door _just _wide enough to fit the sniper rifle through. "I've got a clear shot for the tank, just say when."

"Everyone, be ready to make a run for the boats." Said Kaldur

They stood by the back door, ready to break through as soon as Artemis took the shot

"Hold it! They're circling around the building!" said Artemis

Robin looked out the broken window; sure enough they were trying to surround them

"Adviser, how many are there?" said Kaldur

_"8, not including the 4 on the trucks. The explosion will probably surprise them, leaving you enough time to deal with anyone that would actually pose a threat. There are only 2 between you and the boats but you'd better believe the rest will pursue." Said Zatanna_

"Noted. Robin, check under the door." Said Kaldur

Robin picked up some broken glass and used it to look under the door

_"Guys, you don't have much time! According to the chatter on their radios they're planning to charge towards you in 60 seconds!" Said Zatanna_

"There are still only 2 between us and the boats." Said Robin

"Conner, be ready to take them out, Robin you keep your eyes on our right, Wally keep eyes on our left. I'll stay with Artemis and we'll catch up after the trucks have been destroyed." Said Kaldur

_"30 seconds." Said Zatanna_

"3…2…1…now!" yelled Kaldur

Artemis took the shot, destroying both the trucks and 5 soldiers. Immediately after the explosion went off Wally, Robin, and Conner charged through the doors, Conner taking down the two soldiers while they were off guard

After that they only had to deal with one other soldier which they were able to take down before he did any damage, they got to the boats 20 seconds before Artemis and Kaldur, in which time they had it started and ready to go

"Come on! Before the calvery arrive!" said Wally

Artemis and Kaldur jumped into the boat

"Everyone here?" said Kaldur

They nodded back at him

"Good, let's get going." Said Kaldur

They started speeding away while the 4 remaining soldiers crowded on the docks

"We're home free!" said Wally

_"Hold on…take cover! Now!"_

They were just about to reach to other side of the lake, when a barrage of bullets came out of the trees

"Take cover!" yelled Kaldur; they all dove for whatever they could hide behind

"Zatanna, where'd they come from?" said Robin

_"The patrols were waiting for you, they're goons back at the camp must have radiod that you were heading that way!" Said Zatanna franticly_

"We could use some pretty good advising right about now!" yelled Wally

_"I'm thinking! …Go down the river, I'll remote control the Bio-Ship to meet you down there and pick you up!" said Zatanna_

Robin rolled into the control room of the small boat and piloted them into the river

"So will we be picked up before or after we fall to our deaths over a waterfall?" said Wally

"What do you think, ginger?" said Artemis

"Will you quit with the name calling, artery?"

"Now's not the time!" said Robin

The flow of the river helped them go faster, running quickly away from the bullets behind them

Then they pursued them with their own speed boats, one managed to get close and opened fire on them

They all ducked behind cover to avoid the barrage of bullets, however it became all too obvious that the Bio-Ship wouldn't get there before this ship had them sinking to the bottom of the river

Conner pulled the pin out of a grenade and threw it onto the other boat, getting shot in the shoulder in the process, however the other boat was destroyed

"Are you all right?" said Artemis, scrambling over to him

"He just got shot, what do you think?" said Wally

"He's bleeding fast, we've got to patch up that wound quickly!" shouted Kaldur, firing back at their pursuers

"Zatanna, where's the Bio-Ship?" shouted Wally

_"There's some interference from something, likely caused by a jammer, I can't remote control the ship from here! Find the jammer and take it out!" said Zatanna_

"Easier said than done," said Robin as two more speedboats came into their view "These guys are still coming! And we're trapped on a boat heading towards a natual death machine!" shouted Wally

As she was shooting, Artemis noticed something on one of the boats

A gasoline tank, probably for if they were to run out of gas in the middle of a river

She took aim and pulled the trigger, and then her weapon jammed

"Shit!" she got beneath cover and hit her gun to unjam it

"Zatanna, I can see the waterfall in the distance!" shouted Robin from the cockpit

_"Can you turn around?" said Zatanna_

"Negative, it's too hot back there!" said Robin

"I think I might have that covered!" said Artemis after unjamming her weapon

She fired at the tank, it blew and the explosion took all 3 boats

After the explosion died, the sound of bullets and chaos was quickly replaced by rushing water

"All right! Nice shot!" said Robin, turning the boat around

"Indeed." Said Kaldur, still knelt by Conner "Everyone, find something to help bandage the wound until we get him back to base."

Robin kept the boat where it was while everyone else searched the ship for medical supplies

"Zatanna, can you reach the Bio-Ship now? We need to get out of here quick, Conner's been injured!" said Robin

_"No, the jammer wasn't on any of those boats." Said Zatanna_

"Then where could it b…" Wally began before Artemis pushed him out of the way of several bullets

"What the-" Wally stopped when he saw what was in the air "They have a helicopter? They have a fucking helicopter?"

_"They have a what? That's not showing up on the scans! Are you sure?"_

"I'm looking right at it, I'm pretty damn sure!"

They all crowded into the cock-pit, Kaldur dragged Conner, since the cockpit was the only place with a little protection

Troopers on the side of the helicopter fired on them with everything they had, tearing through the wall and roof of the boat

"They're persistent, I'll give them that!" said Artemis

The bullets stopped firing for a second, "What happened to the gunfi-" was all Wally could say before there was a loud crash in the back of their ship

One look outside and it became clear that they were in deep shit, the chopper launched a harpoon with a chain linking the boat to the chopper. They were trying to stop the boat

"Makes sense, if I were in their shoes I would rather have prisoners to interrogate than corpses to bury." Said Wally

"I'm out of sniper ammo, but I can still take out the pilots with a pistol." Said Artemis

"No, we would just go down with it." Said Kaldur "If we just try to cut the chain from here we'll probably be shot, even if we succeed the chopper will still be there."

"I have an idea, cover me!" said Artemis, rushing out the door

"Wait, what are you doing?" Robin shouted

Artemis jumped onto the chain and started climbing, soldiers tried shooting her but Wally got them before they had the chance

Once she reached the chopper, she had to kick a soldier out, then shot the chain and disconnected the chopper from the boat

"Ok, now what do you plan to do?" said Wally

"Simple." Said Artemis, opening the door to the cockpit of the chopper

A pilot immediately jumped at her with a knife, she dodged to the right and grabbed his wrist, twisting the knife from his grip, plunging it into his neck and throwing him off the chopper. Then she shot the co-pilot

She swan dived into the water as the chopper crashed

_"Guys, the jammer must have been on that chopper, I have a fix on the Bio-Ship and sending it to you." Said Zatanna_

"Good," said Kaldur, helping Artemis back onto the boat "Conner is still wounded and needs medical attention now!"

_"ETA, right now." Said Zatanna_

The Bio-Ship flew parallel to the boat and the ramp opened, one by one they climbed on, Kaldur and Robin helping Conner

On the ship, Kaldur worked to bandage Conner's wound to keep him from bleeding out before they got back to the island base

"Well, that was whelming." Said Robin

_"Is everyone accounted for?" said Zatanna_

"Yeah, we're all here. Conner's injured but he'll live until we can get him better medical assistence at the island." Said Robin

_"Good, the initial recon said nothing about that jammer. I'm just glad no one died." Said Zatanna_

"Yeah, that was seriously intense." Said Artemis

Wally wanted to say _"Too intense for you? Not surprising for a replacement." _But never got the chance, no sooner had he thought it she said, "So, what are we doing tomorrow?"

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

A man rode into the camp in a jeep, not happy about the destruction of his troopers

"Search the camp, look for survivors to tell us what happened here." Said the man to the soldiers accompanying him

They scattered over the camp

"Sir, Jango is dead!" a soldier shouted from the door of the house

If the man was angry, it didn't show behind his mask.

Then he heard loud coughing from the trucks, he turned his head in the direction to see a wounded soldier climbing out from the wreckage

"What happened here?" he said, helping the soldier crawl out

"Americans came…killed Jango…they were too strong for us…" said the soldier

"Do you know _anything _else?" said the man

"No, only that they escaped but other than that, nothing."

"Then you are useless." He shouted to one of the soldiers in the truck "You, throw me my lucky putter!"

The soldier grabbed a golf club and tossed it to the man

"What…what are you doing?" said the wounded soldier in horror

"Nothing, just playing a little golf." Said the man, aligning the club with his head

"No…please n-" he was cut off as the club came down, hitting his head 12 feet from his body

"Four."


	4. Homecoming

Wayne and Zatanna were in the hanger to greet the team as they returned

Conner's wound had been treated on the way back and wasn't in any danger, but still needed some more decent medical assistance so Wayne ordered him to the medical wing

"Everyone else report to the mission room for debriefing in 30 minuets, until then dismissed." Said Wayne, leaving the room

"So, where's the journal and gun?" said Zatanna

Artemis handed over the journal and Robin gave her the prototype pistol he snagged off a dead soldier

"Well I'll be busy for a while, between decoding the journal and studying this gun, you probably won't see me for a while." Said Zatanna

"Do you want some help with it?" said Robin

"What do you know about tech?" said Artemis

"More than you'd think." Said Robin

"Well it'd be appreciated. Thanks Rob." Said Zatanna

"Anytime." Said Robin

"If you will all excuse me, I will be in the shooting gallery." Said Kaldur, leaving the room

"Does he ever do anything beside shoot stuff in that place?" said Artemis

"Not really, he's still getting over a break-up. Some girl named Tula left him for his best friend, he really liked that girl." Said Wally

"Wow, sounds rough." Said Artemis

"Yeah…so, I wanted to say something but…"

"What is it?"

"Well, don't get me wrong I still would prefer Roy being here but, you aren't a complete disappointment…"

"If you're trying to say sorry you're not doing a very good job."

Wally scowled "Whatever, uh welcome to the team, I guess." Said Wally stretching out his hand

They shook hands, "Good to be here." Said Artemis

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Somewhere in Vietnam…

A man stood in a tower in the middle of a camp, looking out over it with a grin that would put the entire clown population to shame

It was during this that a few of his soldiers brought up a red-headed man, he had already been beaten and bruised and his hands were tied behind his back as they dropped him on the ground

"Sir, we found this man snooping through restricted files. We did some digging and discovered he isn't even in this regiment, he's obviously an infiltrator."

The man turned around and shouted, "That man is a spy!"

"Umm, yes sir, that's what I just said…"

"I know, what am I deaf?"

He walked up to the man and looked him in the eye

"So, what's your name?"

"What's with the make-up, trying to be a clown?"

"I have a title to protect! A title I very much enjoy. They call me, dramatic pause…AHHHH PLEASE DON'T MELT MY FACE WITH ACID! But I prefer The Joker. Now I told you my name, it's only fair that you tell me yours!"

"What if I don't want to?"

"Sir, the interrogator can be here in a couple minuets, I'll send for him…" said a soldier

"No! I want to play with this one." Said Joker

"Can't wait." Spat the red-head

"Ooo, this one is trying to be tough!" laughed Joker "I'll enjoy breaking him."

Joker pulled out a knife and traced it over his neck "Do you wanna know how I got these scars?"

While Joker was distracted, Roy focused on getting his hands untied. Almost there…

"Really? Do ya really wanna know? Well in that case…I'm not telling!" he said in a mocking singsong voice

Free! Roy swung a punch at him, Joker immediately caught his fist then pinned it to the ground with his knife, stabbing right through the hand and creating a pool of blood where the hand was pinned to the floor

Roy winced in pain, then swung with his other hand, Joker caught that then pulled a knife out of his sleeve and stabbed that one to the floor.

"You think you're so clever don't you?" said Joker

"Fuck you!" Roy spat in his face

Joker stepped back and wiped the spit

"Now that was incredibly rude! What would a proper punishment be…" Joker thought a moment "Oh, I know!"

He lunged forward and bit his ear off, chewing it up a little and spitting it into his hand, one of the soldiers almost puked while all Roy could do was scream in pain

"Ya see that?" Joker said, holding the separate ear in front of Roy's face, then forced him to eat it. Roy gagged and choked, but Joker kept hitting him until it was down his throat "That looks like it really hurts…"

Joker looked closely at where the ear used to be, it was bloody and Joker even thought he saw a tiny bit of brain oozing out

Joker pulled a splinter off of the wooden ground and, agonizingly slowly, stabbed it into the wound, making Roy shout even louder

"That looks like it hurts a lot more." Said Joker, laughing harder as the splinter went deeper "Ready to give me a name?"

"Lt…Roy…Harper…happy, mother fucker?" said Roy

"Not quite…" said Joker, leaving the splinter where it was "I want to know who sent you, and what were you after?"

"Go to hell!"

"Just the response I was hoping for!" Joker laughed as he pulled the knife out of Roy's left hand "Ya know I like you kid, you got spunk!" Joker stabbed him in the gut, twisting the knife around and digging it into him

"Sir, you're going to kill him!" shouted a soldier, running up to them

Joker grabbed him by the neck and angrily threw him off the tower

"I know that, idiot." Said Joker

"He was one of your soldier…and you killed him like it was nothing." Said Roy

"That's cause he was nothing, don't worry I'll put much more effort into your death." Said Joker

"Gee…I feel special."

"You should." Said Joker "Now, where were we…"

Roy grabbed the knife in his gut with his free hand and stabbed at Joker, Joker casually dodged, grabbed the knife and broke Roy's arm

"I was in the middle of thinking!" Joker shouted, then proceeded to cut off Roy's hand, and then started to beat him with it chanting "Why ya hitting yourself! Why ya hitting yourself!" Laughing all the way

"You…aren't even trying…to keep me alive…long…enough to tell…you anything…"

"There's no fun in riding a bike if you never take off the training wheels, now stand still and let me torture you!"


	5. Lamb to the Slaughter

**_A/N—Sorry for the hiatus, I was having a bit of writers block, I had a lot of ideas in my head but couldn't find any purpose in sitting and writing it down. But for your sakes, I'll try_**

Roy had been fighting Joker's tortures for only 2 days, but it already felt like he had been there for years. He didn't remember the last time he had seen sunlight

He wasn't fed, they didn't let him sleep or patch up his wounds, every time he so much as spoke out of turn he was electrocuted.

There didn't seem to be any hope of survival, all he could do was try to die before they did broke him

Until Joker gave him a way out

"What's this…another one of your torture devices?" said Roy as the device was placed in front of him

"In a way, yes." Said Joker with that mad grin, "When you flip that switch…your little friends will know where we are?"

"…It's a tracking device…why give it to me?"

"So that you can call in the calvery."

"…What's the catch?"

"No catch."

"I don't believe you."

"Believe what you want to believe, if you don't want it than I'll take it away and we can go back to torture…or you can take a chance, try and grasp that one last bit of hope."

Roy sat and stared at the machine. If it was a trap, who knows what would happen, but if not…if this would actually call for help…

He flipped the switch, and Joker's grin got even wider, if that was possible

"Oh goodie! More people will be coming! I'll be able to capture them, and torture them just like I've been torturing you until they tell me everything THEY know! Thanks for calling them!"

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Robin was "dissecting" the prototype gun in Zatanna's office, while she decoded the journal

They actually had fun working together, despite Wally's…_subtle_ suggestions

Although at the moment, Robin was pretty focused on his work, it was a rare moment when one of them were close to a breakthrough, they didn't have time to chat

"What the hell…Hey Zatanna, come look at this." Said Robin

"What is it?" said Zatanna, walking over to his table

"You see that?" said Robin, pointing to a little square object in the center. "_That_ is the power core."

"Where's the ammunition?" said Zatanna

"There isn't any, this thing shoots energy that originates from _that _object."

"Well what is it?"

"I don't know, it's not machine. And it's _certainly _not organic…"

_Team. Report to the mission room._

"Son of a bitch." Said Robin

"Don't worry, I'll preserve your work. Just don't die out there." Said Zatanna

"Dying isn't part of the plan." Smirked Robin

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

"So, old Jango finally kicked the bucket, huh?" said Joker, throwing a dart at a picture of a kitten

"I would take this a little more seriously if I were you." Said a person on the radio

"Oh cheer up, this is a happy day!"

"I'm glad Jango is dead, but we need to focuse on the people who killed him. Jango knew a lot of our secrets, secrets that in the wrong hands could destroy us."

"And his hands were the right ones?" Joker laughed

"Our hands are the right ones, and until we have them back we're in danger."

"Yea yea, quit being a stiff. We'll get them back!"

"Funny. How has the interrogation been going? Learn anything yet?" said the man on the radio

"No, this is one tough nut to crack, huh wish I had some nuts…but I tricked him into calling some backup!"

"How is that good?" shouted the guy on the radio

"Cause I get more toys to play with…"

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

"Jack Naiper, more commonly known as The Joker. He's most known for being a complete psychopath. Even the people under his command are weary around him." Said Admiral Wayne, pointing to a picture of Joker "12 hours ago we received a distress signal from a camp we've been keeping tabs on in Vietnam, Joker's camp, one of our spies were sent in there a few weeks ago."

"How do you know it's that spy who sent the distress beacon?" said Kaldur

"He was using a frequency reserved for our infiltration units, the message was nothing but static however, so we have to assume that he was interrupted, probably K.I.A." Said Admiral Wayne "Confirming his status is the primary objective, your secondary objective is to retrieve his information and escape or clear-out the camp."

"As usual, I'll be your eye in the sky." Said Zatanna

"What about Conner, won't he be joining us?" said Artemis

"Sergeant Kent is not fit for missions yet, so you will be undertaking this without him."

"Will we be getting any support?" said Wally

"You _are _the support." Said Admiral Wayne "Now load up, you're leaving in 60 minuets."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

_"You're approaching from the north of the complex. The camp is in the middle of a jungle and broken up into 3 segments. The barracks on the West side, the courtyard, and the tower to the North, where Joker is and probably the spy too. There's a wooden wall surrounding the entire camp, pretty primitive and shouldn't give you that much trouble. As for the guards, thermal scans are detecting 12 people in the barracks, 5 in the courtyard, and 2 in the tower. The courtyard is also littered with armored vehicles. I recommend maintaining the element of surprise until the spy is rescued, and then use the Bio-Ship's guns to take out the vehicles and force the rest of the enemy into surrender_

"Any surprises this time?" said Artemis

_"I doubt it, these probably aren't the same guys you fought in Africa. The guns they're carrying are ordinary firearms."_

"So we won't have to worry about some invisible army sneaking up behind us?" said Wally

_"Not likely."_

"That's a relief

_"You're getting closer to the drop zone, ETA 7 minuets. Activating camophlage."_

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

The team approached the camp under the cover of the night. Thick and lush jungles surrounding them, and the only beacon of light being the fortress ahead of them.

"We're at the wall, how do we get past it without alerting the guards?" said Kaldur

_"You could try digging your way under, that's how the spy got in."_

"Yeah, I can see that." Said Artemis, pointing out a hole already dug under the wall

"Good eye, let's get in that _hole_." Said Wally

"That's just…wrong." Artemis shook her head

Wally smirked and crawled through

"Lover's spat." Chuckled Robin, earning a glare from Artemis

Artemis was the next to crawl through, to find Wally standing over a guard's corpse

"Did you alert the other guards?" said Artemis

"If I did we wouldn't be having this conversation, blondy." Taunted Wally

"Shut it, carrot-top." Artemis taunted back

"Get a room you two." Said Robin, crawling into the base

"Stay focused, we can't afford to slip up here." Said Kaldur, following after Robin

"So, what're our orders Captain?" said Wally

"Wally and Artemis, you two breach the door to the tower. Robin you're with me, I want to see what's in the barracks." Said Kaldur "Move-out."

Kaldur and Robin followed the wall to sneak around the courtyard, while Artemis and Wally attacked the much closer target

"I'll go in first." Said Wally "I have a faster trigger finger, plus your better at ranged fighting."

"Wow, you actually used your head. I'm impressed." Said Artemis

"Hey, I'm smart!" said Wally

"Riiight, let's just get in there."

They both stood on opposite sides of the door, ready to charge in at a moments notice. Wally began the countdown

"1…*Wally grabbed the doorknob* 2… *He opened the door a crack* 3! *Wally kicked the door and ran strait in with Artemis following immediately after*

"Hold it, hold it, hold it!" shouted Joker

"On the ground, now!" ordered Wally

"Hmmm, nah." Said Joker

"Last warning, you're a split second away from getting a bullet in-between the eyes, so I suggest you do as we say!" threatened Artemis

"Oh, you really don't want to do that." Said Joker "I like fireworks as much as the next guy, but…"

Joker lifted up a detonator and gestured to the bombs that littered the area

"Now, be good kiddies and put those guns down, someone could get hurt!" said Joker

Wally and Artemis glanced at each other and silently agreed to drop their weapons

"Where's the spy?" said Wally

"Spy? What spy?" said Joker with fake confusion

"You know who we're talking about." Said Artemis

"Hmm, oh you mean _that_ spy?" Joker gestured to the top of the stairs

A soldier walked into view, pushing Roy in front of him

"My boys found him sneaking around in our databases, and he was kind enough to call his friends here to play." Joker chuckled "I knew you were coming, why else would I rig my tower to blow?"

The soldier pushed Roy down the stairs; he fell in front of Joker unconscious.

Artemis didn't know what to think about the scene in front of her. Not even Roy deserved whatever Joker did to him to make him like this. Blood was dripping out of a gash where his ear should be, his face was bleeding in 27 different spots, he was missing his left hand, not to mention there were drill holes in the hand he had left, several cuts and bruises on his body and his bone was sticking out of his knee. It was strait out of a slasher flick.

"When I found out who this guy worked for I invited him up to my tower, we played a few games, talked about our feelings, and laughed at a few jokes, we were having a wonderful time!" Joker laughed

"What did you do to him?" Wally said angrily

"Oh, this and that…" said Joker "And now, I'm going to cut _you _up into tiny little pieces and feed you to my pooches. Then your lady friend and me are going to have a ton of _fun!_ If you knew what I had planned, you'd just _die!"_

Joker pulled out a gun and shot at Wally. He narrowly dodged and it just grazed his shoulder, Artemis dived for a gun and shot the weapon out of Joker's hand while also hitting the soldier at the top of the stairs. With Joker disarmed, Wally ran up to him and punched at his face, although Joker broke his hand and put him in a headlock, using him as a shield to keep Artemis from shooting him

"Well, what a dilemma." Said Joker "It seems we're at a stalemate."

Then there was an explosion on the far side of the base, the shockwave knocked Artemis over and Joker used the opportunity to shove Wally away and run up the stairs

Artemis ran over to Wally and helped him stand

"I'll be fine! Get him while I make sure Roy is all right!" said Wally

Artemis nodded and went after Joker

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

It took awhile for Robin and Kaldur to actually reach the barracks; they looked in through one of the many windows on the structure

Inside it was mainly bunks, although tucked away in the corner was a cage, hiding what was inside. All they could tell from where they were was that whatever was in the cage, it was big and feral.

"Zatanna, there is some large and strange creature locked in a cage inside the barracks. Do you see anything out of the ordinary from your end?" said Kaldur

_"No, this is too weird…you're sure there's something in them?"_

"Positive."

_"I'm not picking anything up that's out of the ordinary. Maybe the cage is interfering with the thermal scans."_

"Where are these guys getting this stuff?" said Robin

"Hold on, there's movement near the cage." Said Kaldur

A few guys in lab coats walked near the cage and started talking about something, but Kaldur couldn't tell what they were saying from there

"Robin, can you get…closer?" Robin was already gone "I wish he would just once say when he's about to disappear."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/Robin crawled around the beams that supported the roof of the building, listening in on what the scientists were saying below him

"Any new updates on the specimen?" said one

"He's still just as feral as the moment we injected him with the formula, if not more." Said another

"What is causing this?"

"I'd say it's the enhancement nature of the Blockbuster Formula, it makes their savage human nature more extreme."

"Anything you know of that could counter this? A drug or an herb?"

Perhaps we could try tea leaves?"

"Worth a shot, not like we have much else to go on."

_"Blockbuster Formula? What is that?" Robin thought_

Then there was a large dent in the cage, the scientist and soldiers started panicking as the large…_thing,_ ripped through its cage and tore apart everything in sight

**_A/N—CLIFFHANGER!_**


	6. David and Goliath

"Holy shit…" were the only words Robin could use to describe what he was seeing

The creature had to be at least 7ft tall, its muscles so large they are actually breaking out of the skin. Its animal eyes searched the room and pounced on anything moving, the only reason Robin was alive to see it all unfold because he was hidden in the beams.

_"Robin? Robin what's happening?"_

The creature's eyes shot up at Robin so fast it seemed like they were watching the whole time

"Wonderful…"

Just before the creature pounced on him, Robin jumped from his hiding place and out the window. The glass was painful but not as painful as being rammed by that thing would have been. He landed in the dirt and rolled to his feet

"Robin, are you okay?" Kaldur ran to his side

"Could be worse…" said Robin

It seemed that all the guards were evacuating, using their vehicles to get as far away from the monster as possible

Kaldur and Robin looked up at the creature standing on the roof of the barracks, and it stared down at them

They wasted no time and opened fire on it, but the bullets seemed to just sink into the creature's skin, they didn't even seem to be hurting it

It jumped down, they narrowly rolled out of the way and kept shooting, it grabbed Kaldur and threw him to the side then went after Robin

Robin ducked and ran through its legs and behind it, being sure to leave a grenade behind.

But just like the bullets, the grenade did almost nothing to the monster, its skin absorbing all of the impact

"Hey Zee, we could use to Bio-Ship support right about now!" Robin yelled into his com-link

_"I'm on it, just try to stay alive for a few seconds!"_

The creature turned around and glared at Robin for a moment, then charged at him. It charged like a raging bull, and was easy for Robin to avoid, it seemed that the scientist had sacrificed maneuverability, in favor of power.

Finally the Bio-Ship came into view

_"Robin, stand clear. I don't want to hit you too."_

"Easier done than said." Smirked Robin

The creature charged at Robin again, who dived in-between his legs while the monster ran harmlessly over him, then Robin got up and ran in the opposite direction, trying to get as much distance between him and the monster as possible

The creature looked behind him to see the little man running away, and saw the strange ship with big guns just above the coward. He snarled at the ship and readied to jump at it, but before he could he was shot by the large guns, the impact of the blast shaking the very ground they stood on. He was forced into the ground with a force no man could survive.

Robin looked behind him to see the creature practically buried in the ground by the rubble

"You sure can work some magic, Zee." He said in his com-link

_"Thanks, it's not easy but I try." _To Robin the voice almost seemed flattered.

These thoughts were interrupted by a loud groaning a few feet away; he looked over and saw Kaldur, struggling to stand. He ran over to help him to his feet

"You all right?" said Robin

"Better than him." Said Kaldur, looking at the monster "Make sure he's dead, I'm going to check on Wally and Artemis."

"Yes sir."

They split up, Robin going towards the creature, Kaldur to the tower

Robin stood over the creature. It looked like the shot had blown it's entire body open, its inner organs were clearly visible, and were definitely larger than most human organs

"Nothing could have survived that." Robin said to himself, feeling certain that it was dead he turned around to head for the tower to meet with the rest of his squad

Next thing he knew he was lifted in the air by a giant hand and thrown across the courtyard

He struggled to look at his attacker, and nearly fainted when he saw the creature standing like his body wasn't blown open

"My God…" He observed the creature "H-His body is rebuilding itself!"

The skin that had been blown apart was slowly stitching itself back together, like a doctor sewing up a bullet hole, at this rate it would be fully healed in less than 10 minuets

He tried getting up but his left arm collapsed under his weight "Gah! Yup…that's broken…" Instead he got up using his right hand, and pushed himself to stand and face the creature

"What does it take to kill this son of a bitch?" then he spoke on his com-link "Zatanna, do you mind shooting it again?"

_"With pleasure."_

But she never even got the chance to aim; it was on Robin in seconds, dragging him across the ground before lifting him up off the ground

The creature snarled in his face, by the smell of its breath you'd guess it's been eating out of dumpsters for the past few weeks

Robin struggled to lift up his right fist, and then slowly unclenched it to reveal 2 grenade clips

"Yippie-ki-yay mother fucker…" he said with a smirk

The creature looked down into his torso to see the two grenades planted in his ribcage

From the inside they literally blew him to pieces, there wasn't a single piece of him that wasn't a red chunk of meat; the blast also threw Robin back a good 30 meters

Robin tried to stand but couldn't find the strength

_"Robin? Are you okay? Robin!" _

The com had been blown out of his ear and landed a few feet away; Robin couldn't even find the strength to reach for it to assure her that he was all right

All he could do was wait for his team to come and get him out of there

Then he heard the disturbing sound of the com being stepped on.

He looked up to see one of Joker's men standing over him, smiling

Robin was helpless; all he could do was watch the gun, as it was pointed strait at his head

He closed his eyes and let his head fall back…if he was going to die, he was going to die with dignity

_"Sorry Zee…things didn't go according t o plan…"_

_Bang_

**_Sorry for the short chapter, I had planned to write what happened after that but I just thought this was a good place to stop. I love torturing you guys :D_**


	7. Half Answers

**_During the hiatus I sorta forgot the story line. Oopsie. So I went back and rewrote…the entire story. No major changes, I just did this and that to make it all fit together with what I have in mind, even people who read it all should read it again._**

Artemis didn't know HOW she kept getting herself into these situations; she blamed it on plain old bad luck. But here she was again, with a knife in her side and desperately trying to breath through fractured ribs

The moment she reached the top of the stairs and walked through the door, she was hit in the head by a wooden chair. She almost fell backward but Joker grabbed her neck and threw her towards the edge of the tower

She stopped herself, then turned and punched him strait across the jaw, followed by a kick to the ribs and a jab/cross to the face

The third punch was caught, and then she felt a splintering pain as he broke her left wrist.

She ignored it for now, and wrapped her arm around his, coming in close and giving him an uppercut strait to the gut

She was pretty sure she knocked the wind out of him; giving her an opening she couldn't waste. She grabbed him by the neck and threw him against the wall, punching him repeatedly across the face

He head butted her during a break in her punches then kicked her away, making sure to scream "What did my face ever do to you?"

He pulled a knife out of his sleeve

"Kids today have no respect for their elders. I'll just have to teach you some manners!"

"There's nothing you could teach me!" Artemis spat

"Oh please, there's always something to learn!" Joker laughed, then lunged the knife at her

She hit his hand away while dodging, he lunged again and this time she grabbed his wrist and twisted the knife out of his grip and hit it onto the floor

She pushed him against the wall and tried to suffocate

Then suddenly there was an agonizing pain in her abdomen; she looked down to see a knife wedged into her gut. She grabbed onto his hand for dear life, when he tried to extract the knife to stab her again she kept it in place. He quickly gave up on the knife and just head butted her, and then kicked her away

Artemis clutched the knife in her gut, debating weather or not it was wise to gut this clown with it. She ultimately decided that if she took it out she would bleed out too quickly, so she left it in there

She looked up at Joker, glaring daggers at him. He merely laughed at her glare, finding some sort of amusement from it

He reached down and picked up the knife that had been knocked onto the floor and slowly approached Artemis

Artemis backed away from him, feeling a little bit of fear deep in her gut

She tried her best to ignore the fear, focus more on finding a way out of this situation. But that fear rose right back up when she reached the window of the tower.

She looked over her shoulder and how far down she was from the ground. She could either jump and die or let him stab her and die, pick your poison

When he finally reached her she punched at him, he casually dodged her punch and kicked her in the knee, forcing her onto the ground

"Any last request?" Joker stood over her with a knife at her face "How about a joke?"

"Just die already you son of a bitch!" Artemis spat, and then lifted him over her head and off the tower, plummeting towards the ground screaming. The screaming stopped when he hit the ground…

Artemis looked down at him, noticed the pool of blood quickly forming around the corpse

She collapsed with relief, and sat against the wall of the tower

She once again clutched the knife in her side; it would probably be best to just leave it in there until she was somewhere she could bandage the wound quickly. It'd be pretty stupid surviving THAT and then dying from blood loss, Wally would never shut up about it…

A few minuets later and Kaldur came up to get her out of there

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

It took a few seconds after the gunshot before Robin realized something very important: He wasn't dead

He opened his eyes and saw the man standing there suddenly collapse with a bullet to the head

"Well, that was a little too close, wasn't it?" said a woman standing a few feet away from him

She was wearing a green kimono and a mask with a cheshiry grin on it

"Who are you?" Robin coughed up

"Names aren't really important, are they? All you need to know is that I'm the person who just saved your life." Said the woman in a playful tone

"And I'm very grateful, now what do you want?"

"Ooo, strait to the point. I like that." The woman knelt by him and touched his face "A little young for my taste though. I represent an organization called the League of Shadows. Now, these idiots you just took out are a competing organization. I saved your life as a 'thank you' gift for killing them so we don't have to."

"Why are you telling me this? Why not just kill the guy and leave?"

"Because that would be rude." Said the woman, standing up and circling around him like a cat about to pounce, despite her casual attitude it was clear to Robin that she could kill him before he even knew he was dead if she wanted to, so it was probably for the best if he stayed on her good side "And I just thought I would extend a little deal to you and your team. You stay away from _our _bases, and I'll give you some information, right here and now."

"What information? Just who are these people?"

The woman dropped a flash drive on his chest "It's all on there, but I'll give you the short version. They're a bunch of guys who call themselves 'The Light' and are led by a guy named Vandal Savage. They want to, of course, take over the world. Original much." By the tone of her voice Robin could tell she was rolling her eyes "The long version is on the flash drive. Now do me a favor, stay away from the League of Shadows!"

"Stop right there!"

Both Robin and the woman looked up to see Kaldur (supporting Artemis) and Wally (carrying Roy)

"Well kiddo, I've gotta run. Oh and don't try anything clever, we hear and see everything!" Said the woman, dropping a smoke bomb

"Zatanna, do a thermal scan of the area! Find her!" said Kaldur

_"S-She's not there! It's like she didn't even exist!"_

"Who was she?"


	8. Missing

**_A/N—Yes, it has been a long time. If you follow the blogs than you know that I've been busy. You know who you are_**

The team (and Roy) each lay in a separate bed, surrounded by the white walls of the infirmary and the steady beat of the heart monitors

Kaldur and Wally, the least injured of them, were the only one permitted to be walking around. Kaldur and Conner were speaking with Admiral Wayne just in the next room, while Wally stayed with his friends in the infirmary

"This stinks." Said Robin

"I think that was Wally." Said Artemis

"You're hilarious." Wally said sarcastically

"So what do you think they're talking about?" said Robin

"Probably just the debriefing." Said Wally

"They'd want _all _of us at a debriefing, even if we are injured." Said Artemis

"And what do _you_ think they're talking about?" said Wally

"About how badly we got beat back there." Said Artemis

"I wouldn't say we got beat, the mission was completed after all." Said Robin

Then they heard a groan from Roy's bed

"Wha-Where am I?"

_"Oh joy, just when I thought things couldn't get worse."_

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

"How long are they expected to be unfit for duty?" said Admiral Wayne

"Roy will be out for the next 3 months, Artemis for 2 weeks although she should be able to walk around, and Robin for a month but he could travel by wheelchair if someone's willing to push him." Said Zatanna, trying (and succeeding) to hide the concern in her voice

"Can your incapacitated team members handle a debriefing?" Wayne asked Kaldur

"Sir, yes sir." Said Kaldur

"Should we hold the debriefing in the infirmary?" said Zatanna

"Not with Lt. Harper in there, this is restricted information." Said Wayne

"With respect sir," Conner spoke up "I think it would be best for Roy to be present in the debriefing, he was just as much part of the mission as the team was."

Wayne pondered this for a moment "All right, we'll start immediately."

They all left the metallic halls of The Island, and into a different kind of warzone

"I SHOULD FUCKING KILL YOU!"

"OH GROW UP! IT WAS 6 YEARS AGO!"

"DO YOU EVEN KNOW WHAT THAT MEANT TO ME?"

"FRANKLY, I DON'T EVEN GIVE A SHIT! YOU STOLE MY PLACE ON THIS TEAM!"

"YOU DESERVED WORST!"

"WHEN WILL YOU LET THAT GO?"

"AS SOON AS YOU STOP BEING SUCH AN ASSHOLE!"

"WHAT ARE YOU TWO EVEN TALKING ABOUT?"

"STAY OUT OF THIS!"

"Enough!" Wayne's voice wasn't near as loud but it was heard all the same. Instantly they all stopped their little verbal-battle "Run me by the step-by-step. Every detail."

They each told the story from their perspectives, however their stories left more questions than answers. Wayne saved Roy for last

"While you were in their custody, did you reveal any important information?" said Wayne

"No, I managed to keep it in…"

"Then how did that clown know we were coming?" Artemis snarled

"I was getting to that!" Roy shot back "A few days into it, Joker gave me a transmitter. He said it would call in some back up; apparently he wanted more people to interrogate. I guess it worked, since you guys showed up."

"Did he mention anything that could be related to 'The Light?'" said Zatanna

"No, and the computers I was trying to hack were repurposed into bombs, all the information on them was sent to someone outside the base." Said Roy

"What about the research data for that…_thing, _Robin fought?" said Zatanna

"There…wasn't any research data." Said Robin "Just some useless notes talking about how to move the thing without disrupting its growth."

"What did we get off of Joker's corpse?" said Wayne

"We couldn't find anything on him in our databases, and nothing in his pockets but knives and lint." Said Zatanna "There might be more on the hard drive Robin got from that lady, but we won't know until I look at it. I'll start reading through it tonight."

"Roy, you'll be staying here for the next few weeks until you can safely move around, then you'll be transported to another army hospital. Artemis you can get up whenever you want just don't do anything physically exerting, Robin you'll need someone to push you in a wheelchair. Dismissed."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

"Can you please slow down?" Robin said urgently as Zee pushed him through the metallic halls

"Fine." Zatanna grumbled

"So what did you want to show me that got you this riled up?"

"It's a surprise." Zatanna smirked

Robin thought a moment

"New gadget?" guessed Robin

"No, please don't guess. I know you'll get it."

"Fine…electric wheelchair?"

"Robin!" Zatanna said in a threatening voice

"Alright alright…you decoded the data?"

"Dammit Robin! I told you not to guess!"

"Sorry! I was a detective before I joined the army!"

"It was supposed to be a surprise." Zatanna sighed in defeat

"…I can pretend to be surprised."

"Just forget it." Zatanna stopped right outside the door to her office

She opened the door then pushed Robin through

"Ok, wait there." Said Zatanna, rushing over to her desk

"I'm not going anywhere." Said Robin, gesturing to the wheelchair

Zatanna chuckled as she opened a drawer in here desk. She looked at it with a shocked look, then urgently searched every drawer in the desk

"No no no no no no this is not happening this is not happening…"

"Zee, what's wrong?"

"NO!" Zatanna shouted as she slammed the drawer and started searching the shelves "I don't understand, I left it in my desk just a few minuets ago, there's no way I could have forgotten."

Then Artemis and Wally walked in

"Is everything all right? We heard a shout." Said Artemis

"The hard drive is missing." Said Robin "So is the prototype gun I was studying."

"It is?" said Zatanna, quickly looking over to Robin's desk "Oh shit, it is."

"You're sure you didn't just misplace them?" said Wally

"No, I mean yes I'm sure. I didn't even touch the gun since you left, and I put the hard drive with the decoded notes in the desk right before you arrived."

"Tell me you made a back-up of the data." Said Robin

Zatanna sighed "I had just finished decrypting it when you got back, I didn't expect anything to happen in 15 minuets."

"Could someone of stolen it?" said Wally

"Who would do that?" said Zatanna

"More importantly, who could?" said Robin

_"The League of Shadows."_ Artemis said in barely a whisper, before realizing that she had said it out-loud "T-The League of Shadows, you know the people that girl was working for! She said 'they have eyes and ears everywhere.' Maybe they broke in, stole it and left before we got back…it's a long shot, I know. But we don't know what they're capable of."

Zatanna slumped down in her chair, defeated. Robin, nearly injuring himself to move the wheelchair closer before Wally pushed him, grabbed her hand and gave her a reassuring smile "Don't worry, we'll figure it out. It's what we do."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

"I got the goods." Said Cheshire, placing the hard drive and gun on a table

_"Good. Here is your next assignment. You'll be granted half-a-day to rest then get on that."_

Cheshire nodded, picked up the dossier, and left the room

The man in the shadows picked up the hard drive and looked it over, then inserted it into the computer to make sure it was the right one. It was of course, but you can never be too careful. As for the gun, the SEAL's had gotten pretty far into the gun, had already discovered the power core. This gun wasn't usable anymore, a shame they are very expensive to make. He would make sure these were properly disposed of later; he had work to do.

He got onto his computer and sent out a message to the spy network to start watching SEAL Team 5 a little more closely, he also wanted full dossiers on each member. Friends, family, history, psychological reports, the hospital they were born at, _everything_

"I prefer to deal with budding problems _before _they bloom."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Artemis sat on her bed, holding a picture of her family. A tear fell from her face and landed on it before she quickly wiped her eyes: _"Dry those eyes little girl, or I'll give you something to cry about! Rule 3: Crocks don't cry!" _She shook away the memory and dried her eyes "You just couldn't stay away, could you? Why can't you just leave me alone? I just want to live my life!" she shouted as she angrily threw the picture against the wall


	9. Stranded

**_A/N—I'm back from the dead! Origianally, for this chapter, I was going to write about Artemis' past and how she ended up with a messed up family and a strong desire to join the SEAL's, but I just couldn't capture that emotional strife. If there are any writers who are good at that kind of stuff, I'd appreciate your help. If not, I'll just explain it in some other form. Now, onto the reason you clicked on this_**

9-months-later

"Target in sight. I have the shot." Artemis said, lying on the ground with a sniper rifle in her grip

"Hold." Said Kaldur, and then spoke on the com-link "Everyone in position?"

_"Ships warmed up, we can leave the second after we're done here." Said Conner on the other end_

_"We've got the data, heading back now." Said Robin_

"How close?" said Kaldur

_"We'll probably be on the ship before you two." Said Wally_

"Understood." Kaldur turned back to Artemis "Take it."

The gunshot echoed through the valley, followed by the dropping of a body and alarms ringing

Soon after, Artemis and Kaldur were rushing through tall grass, their ship already in sight. True to their word, Robin and Wally were waiting for them

"Let's go home." Said Kaldur

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

The skies were clear on the way home back to The Island, and the team was trying their best to kill time. Kaldur was staring out the window, preparing his mental script for the debriefing, Conner was playing Tetris, while Robin, Wally, and Artemis talked about the mission

"That was surprisingly easy." Said Wally "It's about time things went right for our little group."

"Dude, don't jinx us." Said Robin

"So what'd you find?" said Artemis

"All the proof we needed to bring down the drug cartel, and without their scapegoat there's nothing standing between them and the Japanese government, meaning no more of that drug gets to America." Said Robin

"This is real, right?" said Wally "I just surprised that nothing unexpected happe-"

Out of nowhere, the power went out and the ship started falling out of the sky. Everyone held onto their chair for dear life as they plummeted to the ground

"You had to jinx us?" Robin shouted

"Shut up!" Wally shouted back

'Zatanna! Are you there?" Kaldur tried to contact Zatanna, "No signal!"

"This thing is waterproof, right?" said Wally

"Doesn't matter," said Artemis "We're heading strait for that island!"

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

As the ship hit the ground, it left a trail of dirt, rubble, and demolished trees

"Is everyone ok?" Kaldur called out

"Ugh…a little shaken, but I'll live." Robin replied

"Same here." Said Wally

"Nothing serious." Said Conner

"Any word from Zatanna?" said Robin

Kaldur tried contacting her again, in vain "That's odd, this equipment is designed to work anywhere, even somewhere with no cell signal."

"Wait, where's Artemis?" Said Wally

They looked around franticly for the blond sniper and spotted her in seconds. A table has fallen on top of her and she was currently bleeding from her skull.

Wally was the first to act, lifting the table off of her and laying her on her back.

"How is she?" said Kaldur

Wally had already started CPR, trying to bring her back "Wake up, damn you!" he shouted at her. He took a gulp of air, then pressed their mouths together to blow air into her lungs

And that's when her eyes opened.

She remained frozen for a second out of surprise, then her cheeks flushed with anger and she quickly pushed him away "What the hell are you doing!" she yelled, wiping his taste off her lips

"I…you, I just thought…" Wally stumbled

"Just don't!" Artemis glared daggers at him, then got up. "Ugh my head, what happened?" She said, walking over to the first aid station

"We crashed apparently, and you were knocked unconscious by a falling table." Said Kaldur

"So where _are _we?" said Artemis as she wrapped a bandage around her head

"Let's go find out." Said Robin

Kaldur and Conner were the first out the door, while Wally tried to intersect Artemis, and Robin stayed to watch

"Hey, I really thought that…it's not like…" Wally stumbled

Artemis glared, shutting him up, then walked to the door.

When she thought no one could see her, she gently touched her lips. Then roughly shook her head and kept walking.

"Smooth, like sandpaper." Robin smirked "That's why you want to check for a pulse before conducting CPR."

"Shut up." Wally mumbled

"Wait, you didn't really think she was dead did you? Or was it just an elaborate plot to…"

"SHUT UP! IT'S NOT LIKE THAT!" Wally shouted angrily then walked out the door, leaving a crackling Robin

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

"A team of expertly trained SEAL's doesn't just 'vanish'"

"Well, that's just what the reports say. Reading the more accurate report you may get an idea of what happened, but my job is done." Cheshire said, placing the document on the desk

"Your job is done when I say it is done." He spoke impatiently

"Forgive me."

"For now, go to the training hall. I might call for you again."

Cheshire bowed, then left the room

As he read through the report he couldn't see why the team would vanish from radar, until he saw _where _they vanished

"Hmm, interesting." He said, "If we hear from them again, I feel it will be safe to assume that we won't have to worry about Nigma again."

**_A/N—Sorry for the short chapter, hope that bit of comedy made up for it. The next chapter will be longer, promise. As you read, I am planning out the entire battle with Riddler and I can't wait to get it all down on paper. Until then, live nice lives_**


	10. Tropical

Wally swatted his hand for the umpteenth time since they exited the ship

"Damn mosquitoes. What am I, an all you can eat buffet?" he said

"Something must be attracting them to you," Robin smirked

"Certainly isn't your manly charm." Artemis mumbled

"I heard that!"

"I'm just glad they're staying away from the rest of us, thanks Wally!"

"We don't have time for this!" Said Kaldur, "We need to find out where we are, and what to do."

"Well, as far as I can tell. It's a tropical forest." Said Wally

"Hmm, there's something not right about these plants," said Artemis "We were in the Northern Hemisphere before we crashed, but a lot of these plants can only be found in the Southern Hemisphere."

"So in the course of 2 minuets, we went to the other side of the Earth?" said Wally

"It's more likely that these were taken from the Southern Hemisphere and brought here." Said Robin

"Also, a few of these plants are thought to be extinct." Said Artemis

"Since when were you an expert?" said Wally

"Since I took a course in high school." Said Artemis

Robin looked up at the sky, it was nearly nightfall and the stars were starting to come into view

"That's strange, the stars are out of place…" Robin frowned, and then turned to his teammates, "We should probably find shelter before nightfall."

"We can use the Bio-Ship." Said Artemis

"We won't learn anything about our new surroundings in the ship, we need to send a scouting team out so that we at least know what's nearby." Said Kaldur "Artemis and Robin, you two have the most expertise at moving without attracting notice, you two scout the area. We'll use the short-range radios to stay in contact. Don't stray too far, I just want to know what to expect once we enter the jungle and I want you back before midnight. Once you return, we'll discuss your findings and then rest until noon."

"The rest may change after I get more information," said Kaldur "But unless something major happens, Conner and Wally will stay and watch the ship. The rest of us will find out where we are, if it was something on the island that cause us to crash, and hopefully a way back home."

The team nodded their understanding

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

_"Tonight!"_

Edward shouted at the screen "You want me to code all this data and send it to you, all in the course of 6 hours?"

_"Can you do it?"_

"No I can't do it! There's enough data on this to crash a Super-Computer if uploaded to quickly! I have to code every bit of it before sending it, that'll take months, at least!"

_"Then don't code the data."_

"Right, then the Shadows get their grubby little hands on this and learn about all their weaknesses! We won't be able to hit _anywhere _without wondering if it's a trap or not! With all due respect sir, use your head every now and then!"

_"I'll let that slide. How long would it take to code the data?"_

"I already told you, 6 mo-"

**_"Alert! Unknown aircraft landing on island! Recommend immediate response!"_**

_"What is that?"_

Edward gave a huge sigh "Just another problem. I'll take care of it shortly. As for the data, you can expect it within the year." Nigma cut the transmission then turned his monitor to the security cameras "So just who are these strangers?"

He studied figures on the cameras and recognized them almost immediately. "Hmm, this should be fun, at least for a little while."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Artemis' foot slipped on a branch. However just before she fell, a hand reached down and grabbed hers, pulling her back up.

"Don't worry, I gotcha." Said Robin, pulling her up until she was able to stand securely on a couple of branches in the high treetops

"I still question the efficiency of using the tree-tops as cover." Said Artemis

"Well if you're quiet about it, then there is almost no chance of anyone on the ground spotting you, and in this environment we won't have to worry about bee's nest where' as down there we would have to worry about…"

"Robin, stop talking." Said Artemis, alerting him to his rambling

"Ok, bottom line. It's useful." Robin sighed

They continued their trek once more, taking careful mental notes of the individual landmarks and odd clearings. Nest of hazardous animals were given extra notice and strictly marked as _'do not approach' _on the maps they were mentally drawing.

_"Are you guys done yet?" Wally groaned_

"We'll be done when we're done, Casanova." Artemis snarled

_"Uh, care to repeat that? I'm not sure I understood!" Wally said sarcastically_

_"You two, keep this channel clear unless absolutely necessary. We need to stay focused in these situations." Kaldur intervened_

_"Fine." Wally and Artemis said in unison_

Artemis, still steamed by the previous conversation, tripped on another branch and fell headfirst before Robin caught her by the foot.

"Ugn…good job, you were born for this…" Robin said sarcastically, trying to pull her up

"Shut up!" Artemis tried pulling herself on when she felt something odd on the tree "Wait, Robin stop!" She inspected the bark closer and felt some sort of lens

"What…is it?" said Robin, struggling to keep her from falling

Artemis tore away some of the surrounding bark and uncovered a camera. Curious, she pulled the camera out and discovered several wires going through the tree. "Ok, pull me up."

"Easier…said then done…" Said Robin

"…ugn, my head, would be a little more…AHH careful where you put those!" Artemis snarled

"S-Sorry!"

It took a few minuets of awkward struggling, but they finally managed to get Artemis sitting upright on a tree branch with the camera intact

"I'll just forget that happened." Artemis glared

"Erm…so what'd you find?" said Robin

"Just some camera, and wires running all over the tree you're sitting on."

"Interesting, so we're not the only ones on this island."

"That was obvious from the start, but the fact that he or she managed to set this up says something about their intelligence."

"It's more than likely that they've been watching our every move. Probably more of those cameras around these trees that we overlooked."

"That's what I was thinking."

"Let's tell Kaldur once we get back, it'd be better to get back to ship before it gets dark."

"Agreed."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

**_"Camera 6-7-2 is in need of repair! Repeat; camera 6-7-2 is in need of repair!"_**

"Observant little seals." Edward said to himself

He laid back in his chair and contemplated his next move

As soon as an idea struck him, he instantly acted on it. First checking to see if any of his experiments were near that area. Lucky for him, they were

"Time to get…prehistoric."


	11. Prehistoric

"Took you guys long enough." Said Wally as Artemis and Robin walked in

"We're being watched." Said Artemis, dropping the camera on one of the tables "Whoever got us stuck on this island has been watching our every move."

Kaldur picked up the camera and examined it "Where did you find this?"

"In a tree."

"Specifics? There are a lot of trees." Said Wally

"Too far away to point out. I think we should play it on the safe-side and assume every tree." Said Robin

"What about the surrounding areas, did you find anything noticeable?" Said Kaldur

"I think we should compare notes before telling you that." Said Artemis, interrupting Robin's unsaid answer

"Good idea." Said Robin after a second of thought

The two went into a back-room on the ship where their thoughts could go uninterrupted, taking several sheets of drawing paper

Wally slumped in his chair while waiting and played some _Tetris_ on his cell phone "How long do you think they'll take?"

"Hopefully not long, we only have a few more hours of darkness." Said Kaldur

"Did you guys hear that?" Said Conner, jumping out of his seat

An awkward silence fell over the room until Wally finally broke it "Hear what?"

"Could have sworn…" Conner stared out the window, focusing his senses on whatever he could identify.

"Buddy, I think the stress is getting to your head, why don't you just take a-"

He never got to finish, as the Bio-Ship was pushes onto its side by a massive force. The three grabbed onto whatever they could reach as some outside force continued to ram into it.

Robin and Artemis wobbled out of the back room "What's going on out here?" shouted Robin

"I have no idea!" Wally shouted back, then lost his grip and fell into the wall

"Will the ship hold?" Artemis asked Robin

"She'll hold, but that won't stop us from being tossed around like a sack of potatoes." Robin answered

Finally they received an indication of what their attacker was via a giant, monstrous roar from outside that could shake the Earth

The beast came by the window, but was so large that you could only see a part of it. It bent over and stared at them with its reptile eyes before head-butting the viewport window.

"When did we enter a Jurassic Park flick?" said Wally

Robin wobbled toward the captain's seat and tried to activate the gauss turrets.

"Damn EMPs, I hate EMPs!" he shouted

"You don't suppose it'll just get bored and find something else to snack on?" shouted Wally

"Wouldn't get my hopes up!" Shouted Artemis, reaching for the weapons cabinet

"You are _not _thinking about going out there!" said Wally

"Got a better idea?" said Artemis, taking the rocket launcher then getting knocked over

"Yea, _not _going out there!"

"Look how that's turning out!" Artemis lifted the rocket launcher over her shoulder and stumbled her way toward the door. Once she reached it, she leaned against it for balance then opened the door. Before she could jump out, however. Conner wrenched the rocket launcher from her grip, pushed her back into the ship, and jumped out himself

He closed the door behind him, and hid behind a rock before the beast could spot him. He ducked out of cover and took aim, by this point the monstrosity finally spotted him and charged toward his snack with a wide mouth. Conner shot the rocket right down his throat, and it exploded.

Ash and fire flew into the sky, then a rain of blood and gore came back down.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

"Ah hell, it'll take me months to breed another one of those." Edward pondered the next course of action "If he couldn't break through that ship, nothing in my arsenal will. I'll need something that can go through that door if they attempt to retreat into it. They'll need to be quick, deadly, and intelligent."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

"Nice." Wally brushed off a clump of flesh that landed on his shoulder "Real nice."

"You alright, Conner?" said Robin

"Yea." He replied

"So what's the next course of action? The ship has proven to not be secure." Said Artemis

"Yea well it's the most secure place we've got." Said Robin

"What about that cave we found. We agreed that it'd be a good place to establish a 2nd camp." Artemis described it "It's a cave, so we won't have to be worried about it being tossed around like the ship. Deep enough for us to have space, but there's still only one entrance so only one door to cover."

"How far away is this cave?" said Kaldur

"A few kilometers that way." Robin pointed "But it's still barely dawn. We'll need to carry supplies there to set up and that alone can be dangerous in this lighting, but we also have to be on alert for more of those monstrosities and if we have gear on our backs when it shows up then we'll be sitting ducks."

Kaldur thought for a second "We won't take any of the advanced camping supplies. We'll lock the door to the ship and only carry our weapons and ammo, as well as any survival supplies we can carry that won't slow us down like food and chorine pills."

"So, we're just going to 'rough it' I take it?" said Robin

"That's right." Said Kaldur

It didn't take very long to get ready. After locking the door, they already had everything they would need in their pockets. Artemis would scout ahead while Robin stayed behind to catch anything tracking them.

Their carefulness slowed them down and by the time the cave was within sight, the sun was up and the crickets replaced by the sound of birds.

"We'll wait for Robin before approaching." Said Kaldur

While waiting, however, they heard a quick burst of gunshots coming from nearby. Robin came running out of the brush, not stopping as he shot behind him. His teammates moved to cover him, and shot at the beast that chased him out of the brush.

"Into the cave, now!" Kaldur ordered and they started backing toward the cave. Kaldur's fear coming to life, one of the beasts came from the brush beside them into their defensive line. The beast alone was enough to break up their defense and force them to act as separate individuals. Conner focused on clearing the way between them and the cave, with Robin assisting. Artemis layed down cover for Kaldur, who was laying down cover for Wally, who was covering Robin and Conner.

Two of the beast struck as one from the brush and charged Artemis. She managed to take out one but the other head butted her, knocking her off her feet and against a tree. Before she could react, its claw impaled her stomach and the monster bit at her head. She grabbed both sides of his mouth and forced its mouth open, impaling her fingers on its teeth however keeping it from biting off her head. Several bullets entered the monster from the side, the shooter was Wally who swiftly came to her side and pushed it off however, as he was unaware of it's claw in her stomach, ended up twisting the claw around inside her kicking up blood and mutilating her flesh. She screamed in agony from the pain and tried to cover the wound her hand. Wally took her arm and helped her stand, guiding her toward the cave with Kaldur as their sole protector. Robin and Conner soon joined them, the path to the cave now clear, they rushed for it covering their backs. Once inside, they took Artemis to the deepest part of the cave

"Wally Conner, cover the entrance!" Kaldur ordered "Robin help me with this!"

"But I-"

"_Now _Wally!" Kaldur shouted at him

Artemis had been layed down, Kaldur and Robin sat down next to her. "What do we have to seal it with?" said Kaldur

"I got some bandages from the ship." Robin took said bandages from his pocket.

"And sanitation?"

"What's the point of taking bandages if I don't take alcohol." Robin took out some alcohol as well

"Excellent." Kaldur moved to inspect the wound further "Damn it, one of the ribs were broken and are now stabbing into the small intestine."

"Closest thing I have to tweezers is my knife!" said Robin

"She keeps a Swiss army knife in her pocket!" shouted Wally back at them

Kaldur searched the pocket and used the tweezers extension. "Hold her down."

Robin appeared near Artemis' head and kept both her arms firmly held to the ground

"This'll hurt." Said Robin

"Just…do it!" Artemis said through her teeth

Kaldur nodded and grabbed the rib with the tweezers. He pulled it out quickly, however the ripple of pain still went up through her body. It took all Robin's strength to keep her down as she instinctively shot up from her lying position, screaming in pain.

"The wound is still mutilated! If we try to bandage it how it is, it won't hold!" said Kaldur

"We can try reforming the flesh by hand!" said Robin "Hell, if we can do that we might as well just sue up the wound, it'll be more effective!"

"Good idea, but we'll have to make her stable before we start sueing!"

It took awhile, but eventually Kaldur managed to untwist the flesh and get the folds where they belonged. By that point, the beasts were fought off and Artemis had gained enough control to hide the excruciating pain that was rippling through her body.

Conner and Wally weren't allowed to move from their spots in case they came back, which Wally opposed at first despite seeing the reason behind it. Eventually, he became content that by keeping those monsters out he was still aiding in Artemis' recovery.

"Anybody know how to sue?" said Kaldur

"I do!" Said Wally, before Robin had a chance to speak up

"Robin Wally, switch places."

Wally went by Artemis' side while Robin stood by Conner to guard the entrance.

"I'll need something sharp and thin." Said Wally

Kaldur took off one of his pins and handed it to Wally "It'll have to suffice."

Artemis' breathing was accelerated but stable, allowing Wally the calm he needed to work efficiently.

"You're going to make it." He said randomly

"Never said I wouldn't." Artemis replied

"I know I just…just felt like I should say it."

One last stitch and the wound was sealed. Artemis got up, slowly by Wally's urging, and sat against a wall. "So what's next?"


	12. The Climb

They spent the last of the day hours in the cave, and remained until noon. They didn't encounter any other trouble through it, save for the odd attack.

During that time, Artemis and Robin finished comparing their notes and drew a map of their surrounding area.

"I'd say that if we want the best view of the area, we'd have to reach the top of the mountain we're currently under." Said Robin

"Is there some trail up the mountain, nearby?" said Kaldur

"I thought I saw one here," Artemis pointed to a spot on the map "But that was when we stumbled on the camera and I didn't look into it."

"Sounds like our best bet, who's going to stay behind with Artemis?" said Wally

"Nobody, I'm coming with you."

"You're still injured, too much strain and you'll re-open that wound."

"Just give me a gun and I can handle the rest, it won't even slow me down."

"My stitch-work isn't the best, I'm certain you can hold out but the work I did on the wound is a whole nother matter."

"I'll have to agree with Wally on this one, he doesn't get much practice in when it comes to sewing." Said Robin

"Then why didn't our medic handle it," said Artemis "Wait a second…who is our medic?"

"Well, I'm a jack-of-all-trades, including medicine." Said Robin "The brass thought I would be enough to handle any of our injuries since any worse than I can handle and you probably won't make it anyway."

"We were going through budget cuts…" said Wally

"Then why didn't Robin do it?" said Artemis

"He didn't give me a chance." Robin gestured to Wally "Before you get angry at him, I probably wouldn't have done a better job anyway."

"The subject for debate is whether or not Artemis is in proper condition to make the trek up a mountain." Said Kaldur

"I can make it, Kaldur." Said Artemis

"Like I said, if she pushes herself too hard which, face it Artemis, you _will_, the stitching will fall apart." Said Wally "It's not a matter of Will Power."

"But…if I'm here, I won't be able to help Robin map the area out. He'll need a 2nd perspective that's trained to see individual things and easily missed details."

"I'm pretty sure I can handle it Artemis, besides Kaldur is trained in that too." Said Robin "We can afford to let you rest and give the stitching more time to strengthen. By the time we get back, you'll be ready for a hike through the forest. Just think about how dangerous and exciting that'll be to help you get through the recovery."

"Now as for who stays behind to help defend the camp, I think the person who did the stitching would work best." Said Kaldur

"But…"

"This isn't up for debate, Artemis." Said Kaldur

With a sigh of defeat, Artemis excused herself to a wall in the cave while the others met right outside

"Think she'll ever get over this?" said Wally

"Sure," Robin replied "She'll forget all about it when we're hiking through that jungle."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

1 day after splitting up

Artemis and Wally sat silently adjacent of each other. Not doing anything, not saying anything, it was so uneventful you could hear a pin drop

"So can I have my gun, now?"

"No."

"Why not? It's not like I'd be running around the forest, I'd just shoot birds and stuff when they're by the cave. We need the food since all our supplies is back at the Bio-Ship."

"I can hunt the food just fine."

"But you're not as good a shot. We'd only get about half as much."

"It'll be enough, we're not living here."

"Thank God for that, don't think I could handle living with you."

"Don't think you could handle living with anybody. Your husband must suffer so much abuse."

"Yea, he's a tortured soul, not existing does that to you."

"What, you never thought of settling down? Getting married?"

"I'm way too young to start thinking like that. What about you?"

"Don't think I could settle for having just _one _girl."

"Figures, men…" Artemis rolled her eyes "Now, about my gun?"

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

The team took their time climbing up the mountain. After a while the trail became nonexistent, so they had to improvise by climbing. There were several edges large enough for them to take breaks when needed, however otherwise they had to keep going up or take the long fall down.

Robin grabbed onto a ledge, struggling to pull himself up. Conner and Kaldur came to his aid and helped him up the rest of the way. They had finally reached the peak of the mountain. Lower than you would expect so there wasn't any ice caps, however you could still see the entire island from it.

"Love the view." Robin commented "Almost makes you forget we were almost eaten alive, earlier."

"Keep an eye out for anything that might resemble our host's base." Said Kaldur

"What about that?" Conner pointed to a metal complex on the southern half of the island.

"I'd say that's it." Said Robin "It'll be quite a hike, you think Artemis will be up for that?"

"She'll have to be, time is not on our side here."

"Well, let's get down and tell them the good ne-"

Before he could finish, a giant winged creature came out of nowhere and grabbed him, carrying him high up in the air. Conner took aim but Kaldur stopped him "If Robin falls from that height, there's no way he'd survive!"

Robin seemed to have had acknowledged this himself, since the creature showed no sign of struggle while it flew away. Either that or…

Whatever his fate, they couldn't do anything to change it. Only watch as the monster carried him to the metal complex to the south

"Let's get moving, we have even less time than before!"


	13. The Belly of the Beast

Wally woke up to the sounds of the mourning forest. His eyes, resistant to awaken at first, were eventually forced open. As separate parts of his consciousness awoken, he became more and more alert to his surroundings. The rest of the team was still yet to return, after 3 days. The campfire was starting to dim. He was cuddled next to Artemis. There was a-

Suddenly all his senses shot awake at once and he made haste to get up. His first thought was how they ended up like that, that thought didn't occupy his mind when he saw how close their sleeping bags had been placed. He moved to separate their sleeping bags so that the same thing wouldn't happen again, he knew how lucky he was that it wasn't Artemis who had awoken and didn't want to take the risk. His second thought started on Artemis, but was quickly intercepted by a third thought to the state of the campfire. He debated what course of action would be best, to support the fire or smother it. He ultimately decided to leave it as it was then grabbed his gun and inspected the cave entrance to make sure no predators lied in wait for their companions. Like it had been for the past 3 days, all clear, allowing his next thought to be focused on catching their breakfast. He wanted to have the food caught and cooking before Artemis woke up so that they would have more time to bond. Despite his best efforts, he had started to take a liking to the young, blond-headed spitfire. Was it love? No, definitely not. He probably didn't even like her in any romantic fashion, or least he hoped he didn't. But in the past time she'd been on the team, he slowly began to notice he couldn't remember what the team was like before she entered their lives. He kept these thoughts private, of course. He didn't know which would be worse, Robin's teasing or Artemis' spite, should anyone find out.

Like a gift from God, Wally did actually manage to catch something in his trap before Artemis woke up, although the moment he tried to retrieve it, the sneaky little rabbit shot out like a soaring bullet and raced across the ground. It was about to get away, when a sniper shot came out of nowhere and went right through the little thing's head. Wally jumped at the sound of the shot and fell onto the ground, face toward the cave to see the only figure that came to mind when he thought of a sniper rifle.

"If you're done sleeping, bring it over here to cook over the fire, will ya?" she shouted

Wally grumbled as he got up and carried the rabbit to the camp, and then impaled it on a stick to put over the fire. While Wally focused on rekindling the fire, Artemis shot a few more animals from the cave since one rabbit would hardly be enough to feed the both of them. Wally offered to retrieve them, but Artemis said he should focus on the fire, so she got them. Wally would have raised the counter-argument about her wounds; although the truth was that the sewing job had already strengthened and would hold unless purposefully targeted. By the time he finally got the fire roaring, they had 6 times as much meat than they started the morning off with.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

12 hours later, and the second party returned.

They rushed into the camp, Kaldur wasted no time telling them to pack up and get ready to hike. Letting his tone pass on the message of how urgent the situation was.

"Slow down, Kaldur. Where's Robin?" Wally asked

"That's why we're hurrying, Robin has been captured." Said Kaldur

"Wha-he was with you guys on a mountain, how'd he get captured?" said Artemis

"Some flying thing came down on us and carried him off, we're going to follow him."

They left the campsite in its condition, only taking their ammo and a few protein pills which were starting to become few.

They hiked for hours, taking as little breaks as possible and pushing the limits of how far they could walk without proper rest. Nothing came after them, even though they had spotted several predators that just watched them as they passed, as if the master of the island was inviting them to his fortress, some sort of challenge.

Sure enough, when they reached the fortress the front gate was open for them. The facility was just a few buildings, connected by tunnels with an electric fence surrounding the whole thing. They walked through the front gate, and into a standard living room, only difference was there was a large computer where a TV would sit, and on the couch sat a man wearing a green suit.

"Hello." He said casually "You took your time, was it that long a hike?"

"Where's Robin?" said Kaldur

"Hmm, is that what you call him?" the man said, "Oh don't worry, he's quite safe. Come, I'll show you to him." The man stood up and walked over to a door, gesturing them to follow

"How can we trust you won't just lead us into a trap." Said Artemis

"If I wanted to kill or trap you, I wouldn't have to invite you into my home to do it." He smiled at them, and continued the gester.

Seeing no alternative, they followed him into some sort of control room. In the center was a long table, with several holographic projectors on particular seats. At the end of one, there was a large computer.

"Take a seat, just not at the ones marked. I'll be back with your friend." Said the man "You're about to meet some very important people." He stepped onto an elevator, but before going down he made sure to note "Oh, and don't insult my intelligence by trying to hack into my consol. You can try, of course but you'd fail."

After he was gone, Wally went immediately to the consol and turned it on. "The hell…does any of this make sense to you?"

"This would take months to decode, time we don't have." Kaldur noted, "If anything here is going to get the jamming field down, it'll be from this consol."

"Oh good grief, stand aside." Artemis pushed Wally and Kaldur aside and simply pried off the top of the consol and messed with the inside of it. "One here and another one…here…there we go."

Suddenly the consol screen turned blue and a number of options showed up. Artemis studied them all closely, then chose the one that said _Security Measures_

On it were both systems for the EMP field and the jammer, along with an easy way to shut them both down. "There we go."

"What's to stop this guy from turning it on?" said Conner

"Doesn't matter if he does," said Kaldur "I'd wager Zatanna sees the Bio-Ship's signal and is already sending evac."

"True, but just to make his life harder…" Artemis smashed the consol, rendering it completely inoperable. Right then the man came up the same elevator with Robin

"Come now, just because you can't break into something doesn't mean you have to _literally _break into it, thought you would have more self-control." He said, "Go ahead everyone, take your seats."

They all took a seat at the table while Nigma waited on them. All their seats were on the opposite side of him and the holographic projectors. Once they were all seated, the projectors came up. Most of them had something blocking their faces, the most Artemis could make out was that there was one woman (face covered), one child with a weird hairstyle, one bald man (face covered), some machine with a brain sealed inside a dome on its head, and a big man with huge sideburns.

"I was skeptical when you said you could actually get them to meet with us on civilized terms." Said the bald man

"Have I ever given you a reason to doubt me?" said Nigma

"So what's this all about? Just who are you guys?" said Wally

"Don't be so impatient, we just got together!" said the child

"You're little team has stumbled onto something beyond what you can handle and it's clear that you won't be able to continue with your lives unless these unfortunate events have been resolved." Said the big man "We understand that our enemy, the League of Shadows, as already made a deal with you, we've called you here to make a counter-offer."

"So _you're _The Light she mentioned." Said Kaldur

"Hold on, we never accepted a deal it was forced on us!" said Robin

"We know, but that hardly changes anything." Said the woman "Unlike the shadows, however, we understand that your team won't be able to operate without hindering our work so we won't ask you to work with us. What we demand is much easier for all of you."

"Just what are you proposing?" said Kaldur

"That you all retire, go to normal lives and forget everything that has transpired."

"Out of the question." Artemis said without a second thought

"Pick your words ca-"

"I don't care what you threaten me with or what your offering, I will not quit this."

"Artemis, have some tact." Said Kaldur

"Listen to your leader, Miss Crock. You haven't even heard our threats." A smile spread across Nigma's face

"How do you-"

"Compared to everything else we know, your last name isn't anything special." Nigma crackled "Artemis Crock. She lives alone with a crippled mother in Gotham. Her father was a murderous sociopath who only had children so that he could train them into his weapons for which, he never told them. So he married your mother, and birthed 2 children to train into the perfect assassins."

"Shut up…"

"But then, your sister couldn't take it anymore. So she left you, all alone to face your father. Father didn't like that, did he? So he was extra cruel to you since she was out of his reach."

"Not another word!"

"But this is when things start getting interesting! Unable to meet his perfect expectations, he became frustrated and branded you as a failure…"

"Stop talking!"

"And you know what he did? He carved you from the right shoulder to the left hip. If we were to look, we'd still see the scar…"

"STOP IT!"

"But that wasn't enough for him, for you weren't the only failure. Your mother's task was to provide him the perfect children, and she failed in her task. As punishment, he handcuffed her to the bed and shot her in the spine, crippling her from the waist down right in front of their 16-year-old child. Then he left you both for dead as he continuied his task elsewhere, with a different family. It was then that…"

"NOT! ANOTHER! WORD!" Artemis stood up in her seat and pointed her pistol right at Nigma's head "YOU DON'T HAVE THE RIGHT TO SAY ANYTHING ABOUT THAT!"

A stunned silence came over the room

"Artemis…" Wally tried to speak to her but found himself at a loss for words

"Thank you for joining us." Nigma said calmly before Artemis felt several volts of electricity surge through her. She heard her team's frantic shouts before everything went dark.


	14. Intellegence

When Artemis regained her consciousness, she discovered herself strapped to a table turned up to face strait ahead. The first thing she noticed were the operating tools to her right, she didn't feel any new scars and there wasn't any blood on the tools so she found comfort in the fact she hadn't been cut apart

Yet.

Nigma walked in shortly after she regained consciousness "That was quite a show you put on out there, enough to spark some resistance in your friends."

"Where are they?"

"Safe, for now. I had to put them under, they're likely waking up somewhere in the same position you're in right now." Said Edward "Ya know, it seems we were destined to be enemies. Even if your father hadn't forsaken you, we would have ended up fighting."

"What makes you say that?"

"I left out one important detail when telling the story to your friends, in case we might come to some agreement." Nigma smiled "It's no mystery what your father was training you for."

"He never tried to hide it, he was trying to make me and my sister into the perfect weapons for his little terror cell."

"So I was right, you knew exactly what you were being trained for. So even if all had gone according to plan, you'd be with the Shadows and we'd still be fighting."

"So no matter how life went down, I'd end up strangling you till you were pale."

"So hostile, and when I was about to give you another offer."

Artemis' eyes scanned her room. It was all white, as snow, and the only salvation she could see lay in a ventilation shaft big enough for her to crawl through. But she couldn't reach it strapped to this table and Nigma watching her like a hawk

"I don't wanna hear another word from you. Just kill me and get it over with."

"Don't be so eager,"

"I'd rather just die now than go through whatever mind trip you have in store for me!"

Nigma sighed, "Very well, I'm not cruel." He picked up a mini-saw from the table and aimed it toward Artemis' head "I'll make this quick

As the saw came for her head she kneed him in the stomach, loosening his grip on the saw, in that moment she lashed her head forward and grabbed the saw with her mouth and tossed it to her right hand, which she then used to break her right hand free and punch Nigma right across the face

All this happened in the span of 2 seconds

Nigma recoiled for a second, stunned by what just happened. In the time it took him to recover, Artemis freed her other hand and her feet, then stabbed Nigma in the gut with the saw and pushed him against the wall

She lunged for the vent, and with a sudden burst of strength, ripped it off the wall and smashed Nigma's face in with it, knocking him unconscious.

She then jumped into the vent and crawled out of her prison. She soon came to a sudden drop in the vent. With down her only way to go, she carefully crawled off the side and immediately pushed on both sides of the wall to slow her decent as she fell. When she finally reached the bottom, there was a grate waiting for her. She pushed against it, and then fell into a computer room.

She pushed herself to her feet and surveyed the room around her. Security screens for the cameras all over the island occupied 90% of the room's walls, none of the screens had labels designating where they were watching and the whole system seemed to require the viewer to have a perfect memory that would put Sherlock Holmes to shame.

"How does he use all this?" Artemis said to herself, and then checked out the consol in front of her. There were at least a couple thousand buttons on it, again there were no labels thanks to that _flawless _system. None of them even stood out from the rest, they were all the same size and color.

At random, she pushed one and the security camera in front of her changed to some sort of list of file names ranging from _Report A1 _through _Report C76_

"A user's manual would be nice…" Artemis said to herself before clicking on the file at the bottom of the list.

It read: _At last I have finished the decoding! It took 12 all-nighters and at least half my supply of coffee beans but it's finished! I got to work after detaining the SEAL operatives [see Reports C66 for more information] and for the most part they've remained quiet in their cells. I have kept them separated and asleep, of course, and providing the proper life support. I shall probably awake Miss. Crock tomorrow to see what information she'd be willing to give me. Her unstable mental state would make her the easiest to reason with. But I digress; the file containing the decrypted information is on this report, simply click __**here **__to bring it up. [Unless you are somehow receiving this sooner than 4/12/2013 3:15AM CTZ in which case I'll need some more time to attach the file] There is more on the file than any of us anticipated. We've hit a gold mine of information. On this are the Shadow's base locations, high players, plans and dates, who's gunning for who, and much more. In my next report I shall tell you how my interrogation of the Miss. Crock revealed to me._

Artemis looked at her watch. It was Midnight, so this report hadn't been sent yet. She clicked on the link and tried to briefly skim over it however there was too much to digest. She scrambled through the drawers of the desk and found a hard-drive. She plugged it into the computer and downloaded the whole file, then for good measure, deleted the previously existing one.

She looked at the hard drive for a moment and understood just what she held in her hand. She stuffed it into her boot and ran to the door. Now, she had to get to the Bio-Ship and get in contact with command. Either they hadn't sent a rescue team because they didn't know what to expect, or did send a rescue team and got it slaughtered. Either way, she had to contact them and get help for her team.

It never even crossed her mind to leave them behind, she would do whatever it took to get her team off that God forsaken island if it was the last thing she did, and she didn't care that it was more than likely going to be the last thing she did

After stepping through the door she came into a corridor, the left went on a ways however to her right there was instantly a fire exit. She rushed through it and into the night air.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

"Zatanna? Hello, are you there?" Artemis spoke into the microphone at a frantic pace, praying for a response

_"Artemis? Artemis, is that you!?" _Zatanna's voice came threw sounding as relieved as Artemis' sigh

"Yea, I'm here! The others have been captured! Some madman working for The Light was holding us but I escaped! They need evac and I can't break them out alone! How soon can a rescue squad get here?"

_"Hold on one second Artemis! I need to get the admiral!"_

Artemis didn't have to wait long before another familiar voice came through _"What's the situation, Lieutenant?"_

"We were captured by someone named Nigma, he's working for The Light. I managed to escape and grabbed some vital intelligence on the League of Shadows on the way out! You need to send a rescue squad to save the others; I don't think I could siege that fortress all on my own! He's got fucking dinosaurs here!"

_"Did you just say dinosaurs?" said Zatanna_

"I couldn't make this up if I tried!"

_"What's this information you said you secured?" said Wayne_

"It's what Nigma himself called 'a gold mine of information' where the Shadows are involved."

There was a long pause on the other side for a while and Artemis got a bit worried "Hello? Is something wrong?"

_"Can you fly the ship?" said a voice, this one unfamiliar_

"Excuse me? Who are you?"

_"Artemis, you're talking to Clark Kent, an director from the Office of Navel Intelligence." Said Zatanna_

_"I came to the island for a surprise inspection, only to learn that one of our SEAL operatives has 'a gold mine of information' on one of the most dangerous terror cells in the world."_

"Okay, back up a second. What did you mean when you said 'can I fly the ship'?"

_"I am asking if the ship is capable of flight in its current state."_

"Yes, but…"

_"You have new orders. Take the intelligence you have just discovered and return to the island immediately. I have other inspections to perform however I'll return next week, expecting that information."_

"But what about my team? I can't just leave them!"

_"You'll have to." Said Kent "That information might be what we need to finally go to actual war on the League of Shadows instead of chasing ghost and suspicions."_

"But…"

_"This is a direct order, soldier. Return to the island."_

Time seemed to go slower after what she just heard. She was now being ordered by the people who pretty much ran the Navy to leave her team for dead, for the sake of intelligence.

_"Artemis? Artemis he's gone, you can speak up now. Artemis are you still there?" Zatanna's voice rang through_

"I can't follow that order." She said, her voice hinting no compromise

_"Artemis." Said Wayne "I am also against leaving SEAL personnel to die, however the office needs that intelligence and we can't risk it falling back into The Light's hands."_

_"But sir…" said Zatanna_

_"You must understand, this is the fate of the United States as a whole!"_

"And this is the fate of my team! My family!" She shouted into the intercom "I've fought by them, trusted them, and loved them like my own brothers! Leaving them behind is out of the question!"

_"Artemis, you were given a direct order from a superior officer…"_

"With all due respect, sir…" Said Artemis "Fuck you, fuck my orders, and fuck the chain of command! I'm not leaving them behind! Not for the whole damn world!"

* * *

><p><strong><em>AN—No disrespect to anyone in ONI, I doubt situations like these happen all that often. Also, I probably exaggerated ONI's power and/or responsibility when it comes to Navel affairs, I just needed someone that everyone in the Navy answered to_**


	15. Retribution

Immediately after her outburst, Artemis turned off the radio and went strait to the armory.

Plan or no plan, help or no help, she was going to get her team back from that madman, even if it was the last thing she did.

And it was probably going to be the last thing she did.

She grabbed every weapon she could carry. Sub-machine guns, pistols, grenades, machetes, everything that was lighter than a rocket launcher was strapped on. Armed to the teeth and fueled with resolved, she stepped out of the ship and started walking toward the fortress. Immediately the beast set her upon. 3 charged her from the front. She gunned them down with a Sub-machine gun in each hand and kept walking. 3 came behind her and she gunned them down too.

2 came from either side of her; she shot them both at the same time. Then they tried surrounding her, the gunned down the ones in front of her just before she ran out of ammo. Reacting instantly, she shoved a gun into the jaws of a beast before it took her head off then threw the other gun at another. She reached behind her back and pulled out a machete, stabbing the beast in the head then pushing him away. With her now free hand she whipped out another machete and cut down the rest. Blood sprayed from the bodies and she became soaked in the red liquid.

As the fortress came into view, she noticed another T-Rex guarding the door. She approached it without hesitation and stood her ground against its' terrifying roar

"You think this will stop me, bastard?" She shouted at the cameras

The monstrosity charged at her with open jaws, she pulled off her belt of grenades and pulled the clip out of one of them, throwing the entire belt into its' jaws before rolling out of the way. The beast exploded from the inside, its' blood marked the ground

Artemis got back up and walked toward the door, which had been sealed to prevent her continuing. She looked to the fenced areas around her, than behind her to see the 3-horned charger preparing to run her down.

She stood and watched as it charged at her with the speed of a train, then dived underneath it, allowing it to pass harmlessly over her and into the sealed door, bursting through it and setting off the trap behind it. Streams of electricity flooded into the creature from the sides of the door and Artemis watched it fry. Once the electricity stopped, she walked into the building. Careful not to touch the creature.

Once inside, she noticed several spider-like robots about as tall as her knee walking toward her. She also made note to the turrets that poked out of the wall and aimed at her. She threw her machetes into the two turrets then replaced them with two pistols. After shooting up one robot she noticed that after it died, it let out a burst of electricity, forming an electrical field that destroyed those around it. She also noticed how the electricity managed to even destroy her bullets as they collided. She walked passed the deceased robots into the room where they met The Light leaders. The moment she walked through the door a spider-bot latched onto her. She threw herself against the wall, putting the bot between her and the wall. The collision destroyed the robot however the after-effect pumped her full of electricity. She screamed in agony and it took all her Will power just to keep standing but she somehow managed to survive long enough for the flow to end. The bot no longer latching onto her, she threw it off with ease and walked through the door. This time, 3 bots approached her and several turrets were prepared to gun her down. In the fraction of a second she had before the turrets opened fire, she shot one of the bots and dived toward it, allowing the temporary shield to destroy the bullets. Immediately after the field went down, she shot at the turrets. She managed to get all of them, but not without taking one bullet in the leg. She ripped off the fabric that covered that leg and used it to make a sloppy bandage around the wound. She then limped toward the elevator that she remembered Nigma bringing Robin up from. She stumbled into it and pressed the only button there was, down.

Immediately after the doors opened, a barrage of gunfire came into the elevator. She got behind the sides of the elevator, only letting half of an eye look out. She could make-out a little robot on wheels similar to a tennis ball launcher, only dishing out bullets. She tried waiting it out but it just kept shooting without even having to reload.

She didn't have much choice but to try her luck and run out there. She got as far as far back as she could without being in the field of fire, then slid under the barrage of bullets. 3 bullets grazed the top of her head and she started bleeding out of her head but she hardly even noticed it with all the pain in her leg. She shot the turret several times to disable it then walked by it. She opened one last door and walked through to find what she was looking for.

Nigma stood on the other side of the room with her team lying unconscious and tied up behind him.

"Stay back or you're a dead woman!" Nigma shouted at her

"Do I look afraid to die?" Artemis said, she pointed her gun at him and pulled the trigger. Her eyes widened at the _click _from her gun instead of the intended _bang. _Before she had time to dread her lack of ammo, she felt a sudden and extreme pain in her abdomen.

"Why'd you come back? I know you somehow deactivated my EMP field, why didn't you just go?" Nigma shouted

Artemis, dropping her gun and holding her new wound, looked up at him "Someone like you couldn't possibly understand…"

She started walking toward him; this action was rewarded with another gunshot in her right shoulder.

"How have you even done all this? How are you still alive?" Nigma shouted, "I threw everything I had at you! It's not possible for you to be alive!"

"You know my story…" Said Artemis "All my life…I was betrayed…hurt…I never had anyone I could count on…"

She began walking again, this time ignoring the bullet flying into her side "But then…I met them…" _bang_ "They've…been there for me...and for the first time…I have people I can count on…I have an actual…family…" _bang_ "That's why…I'll fight…I'll find them…and I'll save them…even if…I have to go to…Hell and back…" _bang_ "Cause I know…I-I know…" She limped close enough to where she could see the whites of his eyes, and she saw fear in those eyes. "I know…that they'd do the same for me…"

She lunged herself onto him and pushed him onto the ground, knocking his gun aside. She forced her arm against his neck and put all her weight on it, choking the life out of him until he went pale.

She looked up at her team, starting to stir awake. She started to relax and felt her vision fade "Cause I know…" She said, as all she saw became darkness

"You'd do the same for me…"


	16. Pain

**_A/N—Someone brought up that Conner hasn't spoken a word for about 2 chapters or so. The reason behind that is, Conner's personality is pretty bland to me. The only things that keep him interesting in the show is his relationship to M'Gann, his daddy-issues, and being grown in a test tube. Without those conflicts he's, he's just your typical forgettable bad-boy with a lot of strength, nothing else really stands out about him, and since all three are absent in this story, it's hard to make him relevant or interesting._**

* * *

><p>She was hanging on by a thread by the time the team awoke to find SEAL Team 8 kicking down the doors into their prison. They were the ones who carried Artemis onto the Bio-Ship which Zatanna had generously used to blow a hole in the roof of the building and fly in to get them out of there. The rest of the team was rushed onto the ship before they could even get a good look at Artemis' condition. Wally even had to be given sedatives to keep him from charging through them.<p>

They were still bandaging wounds by the time they returned to The Island and had to revive her no less than 3 times. Luckily, the medical room had already been prepped for their new critical condition patient. Her health kept rising and falling for 3 agonizing days. "It's less stressful when she's being shot at." Robin remarked.

After 3 days of having hopes dashed at an instant and nearly giving up in despair, she finally regained consciousness.

Artemis awoke to a bright light. At first, she wondered what she did to get into Heaven. Then as she tried sitting up every muscle in her body ached from the strife, she had expected more relief from being dead. Then a familiar face embraced her and she realized that she was still alive, somehow.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

She hadn't prepared to face the music for her actions. She expected to be dead. The data she collected was given to Zatanna who had been keeping it close to her at all times, and she was making copies to give to every other member of the team to prevent what happened last time they had crucial data like this. Meanwhile, Artemis was called to Admiral Wayne's office the second it was confirmed she could safely walk without aid. She took a deep breath of air and got ready to accept that she was about to lose everything she worked for, and then stepped inside.

She wasn't forced to stand at attention because of her wounds, but she still had to suffer the admiral's unwavering and unforgiving gaze on her.

"You understand why you need to be punished." Said Wayne

"I do."

"You knowingly disobeyed a direct order from a high ranking superior. Risked vital information that could save a lot of soldiers. Even though your risk brought back both our SEAL team and the information, we can't just ignore what you did."

"I know."

"You don't have anything else to say?"

"Only that if I had to do it again, I would make the same choice."

"Why's that?"

"You're a soldier, sir. You've had comrades," said Artemis "Your comrades are your family. You don't choose them; you argue with them, you go through a lot of tough times together. And you never, ever, leave each other behind."

"Nonetheless, command expects some sort of punishment to be dealt to those who disobey orders." Said Wayne "You could be court-martialed, jailed, expelled from the military, or more likely, all of the above."

"So…what's going to happen to me?"

"Two months probation."

Artemis was stunned for a few seconds "…sir?

"Two months. If you have a problem with it you can consult high command."

"Sir…why risk yourself for…"

"I'm expected to punish insubordination, how I do so is left up to me." Said Wayne "You're dismissed."

"I…thank you, sir!" Artemis struggled to hold back her tears of joy

"You've been dismissed. Nurse your wounds and get some rest."

The moment she left the office she bumped into Zatanna "Oh, hey Artemis. I've been looking for you." She said, before noticing her puffy eyes "Is something wrong."

"No, everything's fine." said Artemis "Things couldn't be better."

"Well, in any case, here." Zatanna handed her a flash drive "It's the data you collected from the island, I've already given all the others a copy. I won't let the same thing happen twice."

"Right, I'll take good care of it." Said Artemis, taking the hard-drive and stuffing it in her pocket.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

That night, she walked into an empty barracks. Zatanna was working another all-nighter in her office so Artemis had the room to herself. She washed her face in front of the mirror, and then afterwards looked at the picture of her old family, like she'd done many nights before.

"…I don't need you anymore." She said to it "I don't need that kind of life anymore. You once said 'It's every girl for herself,' and at the time I believed you, but now…now, I have a new family. I don't expect you to understand, you selfish bitch and abusive bastard, but in this family, it's all for one and one for-" she was interrupted by a knock at her door

_"Hey…Artemis? Are you in?"_ It was Wally

She threw the picture aside absentmindedly and opened the door "Yea?"

"Hey…mind if I come in?"

"Oh…sure, I guess." She cleared the way for him as he walked in "Do you need something?"

"I just…wanted to talk." Said Wally "On the island…that madman, Nigma, said some things…"

"I know…"

"So, were they true?"

"…Yes." She sat down on her bed "The training, the scar, my sister leaving, all of it."

"Artemis…I'm so sorry…"

An awkward silence fell over the room

"Can I…see it? The scar?" said Wally, who then panicked "I'm sorry, that was out of line, if it's too personal…"

"No, it's ok." Said Artemis, who stood up facing him

She took off her shirt. Wally's eyes just barely glanced over her breast but quickly became distracted by the multiple scars and wounds that littered her body. Yet even out of all the damage, one stood out, right where Nigma said it was. A large cut going from her right shoulder to her right hip. He reached up with a trembling hand and gently touched the scar before he could think to stop himself; even with the slight sting of his touch Artemis resisted the urge to recoil.

"How have you hidden this…pain?" Wally said through a dry mouth

"For so long, all I've been able to do was deal with it." Said Artemis "There were times I wanted to die…but when I met this team, I realized there was something I wanted even more."

"Artemis…"

Again Wally's impulsive nature got the better of him and he felt himself leaning in to kiss her. Although it was never taught to her, Artemis had learned from experience what was happening to her. Why her cheeks were feeling hot, why her heart was beating faster and why her legs started to feel weak under her. Then she saw something and recoiled.

The slight action of her stepping back was enough to snap Wally back into reality and he immediately felt guilty.

"I-I'm sorry, I…" he stuttered

"Wally I…I need to rest. You should go…"

"Right…" He took steps toward the door "You know where to find me, if you need me…"

"I know." Artemis started feeling guilty herself for rushing him out like that "Wait…"

Wally turned around at her call, and was greeted with her lips on his. He only took a moment to react and return the gester, and they stayed that way for a few seconds before Artemis finally stepped back again. "Thank you."

"A-Any time…" stuttered Wally before walking back to his room

Artemis shut her door and breathed a sigh "You're getting sloppy, I noticed you the moment you came in."

"You were always a better spotter than I was, despite you always looking down the narrow view of a scope." Said Jade in her Cheshire Cat outfit, sitting on one of the beds. She picked up the picture Artemis had thrown aside "I remember when this was taken. I didn't know you still held onto it."

"Why are you here?" Artemis said coldly

"I think you know."

"I assume you've already gotten everyone else's copy." Said Artemis as she pulled out the flash drive

"They were easy, but I'm not even going to try taking yours." Said Jade "You know my tricks and how to counter them."

"But you still need to get it regardless. So you'll just kill me and take it off my corpse."

"You really have a low opinion of me." Said Jade

"I think it's pretty accurate." Said Artemis "In all the time I've known you, you've lied to me, tried to kill me, abandoned me, and you expect me to just forget all you've done?"

"I'm not going to kill you, Artemis. Just give me the flash drive."

"Or what?"

"Don't make me threaten you."

"Even injured, I think I could manage to make enough noise for everyone to come running."

"I just said, I'm not going to kill you. I just wonder," said Jade "If your position on the team is secure enough for them to learn _everything _I know."

"…I'll take my chances, and you can show yourself out."

"Artemis, don't make me…"

"Get. Out."

"…I'd say I'll make you regret this, but I think you already know that."


	17. Framed

"A trial?" said Artemis, "I thought that you did what you did so there wouldn't be a trial."

"Mr. Kent felt my punishment wasn't justified, so he called an _informal_ trial." Said Admiral Wayne, "It's not a trial with jury and judges, it'll be me, the team, and one of your previous commanding officers trying to convince him to not do anything."

Artemis sighed, "Be honest, what are the odds."

"Convincing Mr. Kent that he was wrong: 1 in 1000." Said Wayne "Nevertheless, SEAL operatives make a career out of doing the impossible."

"On a battlefield or coverts ops, but this is politics. We aren't trained to be actors."

"You're trained to do the impossible, and that's what we're going to do."

"So, who's the 'previous commanding officer?'"

Right at that moment, Commander Queen just happened to walk into the office. "Miss Crock." He smiled at her "It's been a long time."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

They all watched silently as Mr. Kent's helicopter landed in the hanger and 4 MP officers stepped off with him.

"Admiral Wayne."

"Mr. Kent."

"So this is the team you are so fond of." Clark looked at them all, "I'll admit I'm surprised with you Bruce, you've always been so good at seeing things from a rational perspective, I was always the emotional one. My how things have changed."

"My fondness of the team has nothing to do with why I testify for Lt. Crock's release." Said Wayne "She's innocent, and I hope I can help you see that."

"I'll keep an open mind then, for your sake." Kent lied "Now then, where will we conduct this. Do you have a meeting room?"

"Right this way."

And that's how they found themselves on opposite sides of a table. The team and their allies on one side, Clark and his MP on the other.

"For starters, I would like to hear why you pardoned her." Said Clark

"I didn't, I punished her insubordination just like you wanted me to." Said Bruce

"The level of insubordination she displayed rivaled desertion, punishable of a life sentence, at least. You gave her two months probation."

"If she deserted, she wouldn't be here, she'd be on some beach in Hawaii." Said Oliver "By your logic, firing a gun would be the same as killing a police officer! You can't take these small charges and exaggerate them to increase her charges!"

"Small charges?" said Kent "Her actions put critical information at risk, information that, in the wrong hands, could destroy the United States, all to save _one _SEAL Team."

"All to save her _comrades!" _Wally spoke up "I don't know how things operate in ONI, but here, we don't believe in leaving each other to die! She did what all soldiers are expected to do!"

"A soldier's duty, lieutenant, is to his _country, _not other soldiers!" said Kent "Speak out of turn again and I'll have you dismissed from this court!"

"Lieutenant West has just as much right to speak as you or I, Mr. Kent!" said Oliver "If you didn't expect the team to input their evidence then you shouldn't have called a trial!"

"What kind of team do you run, Bruce, where your operatives feel the need to disrespect their superiors so frequently?"

"An effective one." Said Wayne "As much as high ranking officials and officers want to believe that they know everything, the truth is that we know very little. Often times the soldier has a better perspective of the situation and their input is just as valid as the people leading them. This system saved countless operations before you even made it to ONI, and countless more since."

"You say that their evidence is just as valid as ours, but what evidence do they even have? I haven't heard a single word from any of you that can justify Artemis' actions or Wayne's lack of punishment."

"And you're evidence is equally lacking." Said Oliver "You don't even have a single witness!"

"Really, well I also did my homework and found someone from Artemis' past that I think can give us more insight to her character." Said Clark "Not only was he a member of her SEAL class but he also confessed to being romantically involved before she even had dreams of joining our military forces."

"You've gotta be kidding me…" Artemis groaned and rubbing her temples

"Roy Harper."

"You…dated Roy?" said Wally

"Shut up…" said Artemis

"Harper stated that the only reason she joined the SEAL Teams in the first place was because of a personal vendetta against him, even 'sucking up' to Oliver in order to pass the exams."

"Nonsense," said Oliver "If I wanted to do her any favors, I would have kept her out of a career that gets her shot, stabbed, and electrocuted on nearly every single mission."

"It still seems her only purpose for joining the military was to get back at an ex-boyfriend."

"I was going to join anyway, pissing him off was just a bonus." Said Artemis

"Who's testimony is more valid, a suspected traitor or a trusted soldier with not a spot of mud on his record?"

"The soldier who fought tooth and nail to bring her comrades back safe, aided in the assassinations of three of our enemies, and still found time to secure crucial information." Said Wayne, "A soldier who never runs into trouble is a useless pawn, incapable of making the decisions that save lives."

"Roy is a soldier who…"

"Who would like to deliver his testimony himself!" said Roy, walking in.

Even after all the time, the evidence of Joker's torture was still clear. They had replaced his missing hand with a cybernetic one, he had gotten a buzz cut, there was a cybernetic implant covering the stump where his ear used to be and the eye, and was also much skinnier.

The moment he walked in Artemis also rose to her feet and if looks could kill the room would be painted in their blood.

"Hey guys…" Wally said nervously, "Let's just calm down, ok?" On one hand, he had known Roy for a really long time; he was one of his best friends! On the other, Artemis and him had grown really close…Bros before hoes or lovers over brothers? Luckily for him, they both sat down on their respective sides so he didn't have to deal with that just yet.

"I've given up more for this military than she ever will, and we're still debating over whether or not her testimony is valued over mine? She shouldn't of been put on this team in the first place!" he yelled

"In case you don't remember, I was part of the team that saved your sorry ass! A little gratitude never killed anyone!" she countered

"Gratitude? You wanna see some fucking gratitude? In case _you _don't remember, you would still be lying on a wooden floor with broken limbs if it weren't for me!"

"If it weren't for the idiot pizza boy who went to the wrong house!"

"I should have just left you, we'd all be better off without you broken, crap shot, Blondie bitch!"

"Roy, you are an unstable, idiotic, psychopathic, sadist, selfish, cock-sucking asshole!"

"Enough!" shouted Wayne, "I'm calling a recess, any objections?"

"None." Said Kent

"I'm not finished with this bitch yet!"

"You wanna go, pussy? I'm right here!"

"Stop this or you're both under arrest for disrupting court!"

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

"That…was stressful." Artemis sighed

"Don't worry, this'll be over soon." Said Oliver "These informal trials rarely last more than a day."

"This'll be a loooooong day."

"Well, it's almost time for lunch, you should head to the dining room."

"You're not coming?"

"I'll catch up, I still have some paperwork to do." Said Oliver "Even when in court, an officer's work is never done."

"Hey…Oliver, did you really just admit me into the SEAL team cause we're friends?"

"Like I said in court, Artemis." Oliver smiled "If I wanted to do you favors, I'd have kept you out of the SEAL teams. You went through a lot before joining, and you've gone through a lot more afterwards, but you've always remained strong and never gave up. That's why you deserve to be on this team."

"Thanks." She smiled, feeling reassured, she left the room and headed into the hallway.

However, the moment she stepped out, she heard fighting inside the room. She slammed the door open to find Cheshire shoot Oliver twice with a silence pistol. Artemis reacted fast and pulled her own gun on Cheshire, unloading the entire clip. Cheshire dived behind a desk and shot the already dead Oliver a few more times, then threw a smoke bomb at Artemis. "This didn't have to happen, Artemis. You should have just given me the data" were the last words Artemis heard before the smoke cleared. She looked around franticly but Cheshire was long gone. She rushed over to Oliver and tried to stop the bleeding but it was too late. He was dead.

Next thing she knew, everyone charged into the room, the MP officers and Roy all pulled a gun on Artemis while the rest of the team tried to reason with them.

"Artemis Crock, you are under arrest for the murder of Commander Queen!" Kent shouted

"I didn't kill him, it was Cheshire! She was just in here, I saw her!" she shouted as handcuffs were put on her

Roy picked up her gun and inspected it, then looked at the body.

"This gun just shot sex times, there are six bullet holes in the commander." He said, smirking "I think this evidence speaks for itself."

"I was shooting at the assassin! Cheshire's the one you should be putting handcuffs on!"

"Still think your prized soldier is as clean as she claims?" Kent told Bruce, who responded with silence

"This is crazy!" shouted Wally "We can't just arrest her without an investigation!"

"The evidence is all around us, Wally!" shouted Roy, then looked to the rest of the team "You all need to pick a side, are you with your country or _this _traitor?"

"Artemis is _not _a traitor!" said Robin

"This isn't the first time someone broke in, did damage, and escaped before being noticed!" said Zatanna

"Maybe because that supposed infiltrator was blondie here! Ever think of that?" said Roy, "And didn't you all _just _say every single one of you lost the copy of data you got from the last mission? She probably did that too!"

"Dude, you're just accusing her because you hate her! Let's all just calm down and think about this!" said Wally

"I'm done thinking!" said Roy

"Since when did you ever start?" said Artemis

"Put her in a cell, now!" said Kent

Then Conner grabbed Kent by the collar and glared at him "Over. My. Dead. Body."

"An attack on one is an attack on all!" shouted Wally

"Guys, don't do this for me…" said Artemis

"We _do not _leave our comrades behind." Said Kaldur "Artemis has already proven that."

"Zatanna." Said Bruce "Check the security cameras."

"But we don't have…"

"Go!" he said sternly, slipping a piece of paper into her pocket discretely

"Yes sir!" Then she ran out

"Those cameras will explain everything." Said Bruce

"We have those?" said Robin

"Secretly, yes." Bruce lied

Then immediately after, Zatanna ran back in "The-The footage has been wiped!"

"Work of our Shadows spy no doubt!" said Roy

"I am _not _a Shadows spy!"

"She could have easily wiped it during the recess, only Oliver can testify to being with her, and he's dead." Said Clark

"I have a cell where we can hold her until this is all sorted out and her innocence is proven." Said Wayne calmly "She'll be taken there."

"No way, I'm not letting you lock her away!" shouted Robin "She's one of us, you arrest her you might as well take me with her!"

"Robin…"

"Same goes for me!" said Conner

"Conner…"

"She has proven herself time and time again, I have fought side-by-side with her, she is _not _a traitor."

"Kaldur…"

"That goes double for me!" said Wally "You lock her away, might as well send me off with her!"

"…_Wally…"_

"You all feel this way?" said Wayne

"I believe," said Kaldur, looking at his teammates "That we do."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

"This was not well thought out." Said Robin as they sat around in their prison cell

"You guys should have just let them take me," Artemis sighed

"That's just not how we do things." Said Wally, "Besides, they'll find evidence of our innocence and we're home free."

"No they won't." said Conner

"He's right." Said Kaldur, "Once Kent has made up his mind about something, all the evidence in the world won't change what he's already decided to be true."

"Besides," said Artemis, "Roy has it out for me, he'd manipulate evidence to make me look guilty. Nothing to do but wait for the court marshal."

"A little optimism never killed anyone." Said Robin

"What happened between you and Roy, anyway?" said Wally

"I'd rather not talk about it." Said Artemis, averting her eyes

"He broke her heart, isn't that obvious?" said Robin

"Shut. Up." Artemis growled

"Guys, let's all calm down." Said Wally, "I'd rather not spend our last moments together arguing. We've been through too much to end on bad terms."

"Don't worry, these won't be our last moments together," Smirked Robin

"You have a plan?" said Artemis

"No." said Robin, "Bruce and Zatanna do."

As if on cue, Zatanna rushed into the room holding a key ring and unlocked their cell

"Come on, Bruce is keeping them busy but we don't have much time, we need to get you onto the Bio-Ship!" she said hurriedly

"Whoa, slow down." Said Wally "Who's doing what, when, why?"

"Bruce, keeping them busy, at the moment, so we can escape." Said Zatanna, "Hurry!"

"No need to tell me twice." Said Artemis

"Good job, Zee." Said Robin, kissing her on the cheek quickly before hurrying with the rest of the team

The moment they stepped into the hallway and rounded a corner there was an MP standing there, who Conner proceeded to knock out with a single punch and Artemis took his tazer, pepper spray, handcuffs and gun "Don't worry, pal, it's for a good cause."

Eventually, they came to an intersection. One way leading to the hanger, the other leading to the control room. "I'll open up the hanger, you get the Bio-Ship prepped for launch." Said Zatanna before going one way

"I'll go with you." Said Robin

"No, these guys don't know the base, they won't think to look at the control room. The moment they realize you're gone they'll go for your escape route, the hanger." Said Zatanna

She ran toward the control room before he even had time to reply and the rest of the team dragged him along to the hanger.

Once they entered the hanger, they ran across Roy. Stunned at first by the sight of them, he was quick to pull a gun out on them though Artemis was quicker to shoot it out of his hand with the MP's gun. With Roy disarmed, she tossed her own weapon aside. "Stay back. This one's mine." She said to her team before charging right at him. He punched at her and she ducked under it and tried breaking the cybernetic hand over her shoulder, however it only gave him the opportunity to put her in a headlock. Immediately after, she took out the pepper spray and sprayed it in his eyes, elbowed him in the gut and put one part of the handcuff on his human hand. She followed up by tazing him which made him fall onto his back, putting the other part of the handcuff to a railing, then punching him in the face to render him unconscious.

"Bit overkill, don't you think?" said Wally

"He had it coming." Said Artemis

They charged onto the Bio-Ship right as the rest of the MPs came into the hanger and opened fire on them. From the safety of the ship, they tried to contact Zatanna in the control room but with no such luck. However they knew she had made it because the hanger door opened. Unexpectedly, however, the ship also took off without them piloting it and left the hanger.

"Did someone activate the autopilot?" said Robin, urgently

"I didn't touch anything!" said Wally

"Well then why are we flying?" said Robin

"_Because I activated the autopilot." Said Zee, over the intercom_

"Zee, what are you doing?" shouted Robin

"_I need to make sure that they don't use the control room's link to the Bio-Ship to bring you back. I'm severing the link as we speak."_

"That's great, but why are you staying behind?" shouted Robin

"_By the time I reached the hanger Kent will have already seized the ship." Said Zatanna "This'll have to be goodbye, team. You have to clear your names and make those shadowy bastards pay…it's been an honor working with you all."_

"Zee…don't do this!" shouted Robin, who continued to scream at the intercom even after he knew the link had been cut.

"Don't worry Rob, they won't execute her. We'll find a way to break her out of whatever jail they lock her in." said Wally

"Assuming the Shadows don't do anything…" Conner managed to say before Artemis cut him off

"Wally's right, we'll find her!" said Artemis

"So…what's the next step?" said Robin

"We're fugitives on the run from our own country," said Kaldur "However, our mission remains the same. We will hunt down the Shadows and The Light and make them face Justice, and along the way we'll find time to clear our names and get Zatanna released from prison."

"That's very nice, but how are we supposed to do that. We don't even have that data on the Shadows anymore." Said Wally

"Actually, I still have mine." Said Artemis, pulling the data out of her pants.

"Where were you…"

"I took extra lengths to keep my copy protected, we have everything we need to know on the Shadows in this hard drive. Once we're through with them, we're more than likely to have found info on The Light as well."

"Then it's settled." Said Kaldur "From now on, we are our own team. We have no military backing or support. Our handler is under military arrest and our enemies know we're coming, and we are ready for them. Seal Team Five has been officially disbanded. From now on we operate independently under our own name. We are the Justice Squad.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

"I want every base on alert for that team!" Mr. Kent hurried to issue orders to everyone. "Put Miss. Zatara on lockdown, we'll interrogate her later to find out where they're headed."

"We have more pressing issues than recapturing a rogue team." Said Wayne "There are still two terrorist organizations planning God knows what, our resources are better spent focusing on that!"

"They've been around for longer than we can imagine, I doubt they'll make any game changing moves now. This team is our primary objective. I want kill teams mobilizing to take them out, no matter the price."

"_Kill teams?"_ said Wayne

"SEAL Operatives are the best of the best. Unmatched by any soldiers in the world and now a team of those highly trained, highly armed, extremely dangerous super soldiers have gone rogue. Even if we wanted to, we couldn't take them alive if we tried."

Wayne sighed "Fine. I'll lead the Kill Teams."

"No, you're too close to this situation and I can't trust that you'll be able to keep your emotions separate from this." Said Kent, "I will lead the kill teams, you'll be on an advisory role. I'll discuss this further later but I have to pick up the mess _your _team started. Dismissed."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

The first night on the Bio-Ship, the team set up a few sleeping bags around the area. Artemis' bag wouldn't fit in the closet or the bathroom, so she slept in the main room with the rest of the men. It wasn't as awkward as it sounded, especially since they all slept in their clothes, the only consequence were that Artemis couldn't walk around that night when she couldn't sleep.

So she looked out the window into the night sky. The Bio-Ship was floating in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, pretty much the middle of nowhere. The moonlight reflecting off the clear water, none of the city lights or really much of anything to obstruct nature was a breathtaking sight. The beauty of nature was so great that Artemis didn't even notice Wally get up and walk over to her. "Can't sleep?"

"No..." said Artemis

"…This has been quite a ride, hasn't it?"

"You make it sound like it's over." Chuckled Artemis, "We're not even half-way there."

"Yea, I guess. Just the calm before the storm." Said Wally, "So…what exactly happened between you and Roy?"

"What story you expecting to hear?"

"I just…look, I don't mean to intrude or anything…"

"Wally…" sighed Artemis "I promise I'll tell you everything, just not tonight. Too much has happened already…"

"I get it…so, what about yesterday?"

"What about it?"

"We kissed."

"Oh, that…"

"You don't want to talk about it?"

"What's there to talk about?"

"I-I dunno, just…I dunno!"

"I think we both need some rest right about now. The past few weeks have been a real emotional rollercoaster."

"You can say that again." Said Wally, "So…wanna do it again?"

"Thought you'd never ask." Said Artemis, turning to face Wally and pushing her lips against his. He eagerly replied and they just stayed like that for a moment

"Dude, we have a closet right over there." Groaned Robin, making both their hearts skip a few beats.

Wally stuttered awhile before Artemis decided it was time for all of them to get some rest. She shooed Wally back to his own sleeping bag and she got in her own.

Through the night, her mind kept going back to that promise she made to tell him everything.

_Everything._

They already knew that her father trained her and her sister abandoned her, but they didn't know everything about where she came from. She had been born into the very organization that just sent them on the run. She just wanted to leave it all behind, start over under a new flag with a new family. But now, as always, her old family keeps coming back to haunt her and if she didn't tell her new family about the old, she might just end up losing them. But if she does tell them, she might lose them anyway…

"I'm strong enough to fight dinosaurs, robots, and complete psychopaths," she mumbled to herself, "So why is saying a few sentences so impossible?"

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><p><em><strong>AN—This can be considered something of a "Season 1 Finale" for Together in Arms. After this chapter I'll probably go into a hiatis as I'm trying to sort things out and things will be pretty different in "Season 2" interpret that as you will. So look for "Together in Arms: Justice Squad" on the list of fanfics. It'll be under the same filter as this one, Artemis/Wally: rated M.**_


	18. Author's Note: Need Help

Hey, DeathDealer here. I don't know if you all have noticed, but I have a really hard time writing dialog. If the reviews I get are anything to go on, the stories I write are pretty well paced and gripping, but dialog just isn't my strong suit, which is why Season 2 of Together in Arms is taking so long to get out. Honestly, I haven't even figured out how to write the first chapter! I have pretty much the entire season stored in my head but I have no idea how to make it play out. This has been bothering me for a long time, so I came up with an idea. I think up what I want to happen in a chapter, and have someone write out _how_ it happens. Now, I'm not going to interview every single person who volunteers, we all have better things to do than sit and talk for who knows how long, instead I'm going to lay down a plot diagram right here and have anyone who wants to volunteer to be my "Dialog Writer" (which if it wasn't an official term before, it is now) PM the story to me in their own format. I chose the best one out of the PM's and we start a partnership, and if it turns out there's more than 1 person who I think wrote it perfectly, we form a 3-way partnership, or 4-way, 5-way, etc etc. Now, enough exposition, here's the diagram.

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><p>General story: Frank Castle, a vigilante known as The Punisher, is going to the bank when suddenly crooks break in. He tries to resist fighting them but can't help himself and ends up beating the crap out of all of them.<p>

Exposition: Frank waiting in line (optional: thinking about his life)

Rising Action: 8 thugs break in, all armed, Frank tries his best to just wait the unfortunate situation out but is struggling to resist breaking free and taking out the thugs

Climax: Frank finally snaps when the thugs threaten a little child who started mouthing off to them and starts beating the shit out of all thugs

Falling Action 1: Description of how he defeats them

Falling Action 2: Police come in and give him props for showing guts OR Frank slips out just before cops arrive

Resolution: Little child thanks him while Frank just nods and rides away in whatever vehicle writer wants him to drive

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><p>If you want to work with me to bring more life to my story through expert dialog and descriptions, I would appreciate it very much if you would PM me what you write with the material I've just provided. So now I just wait for someone to volunteer…<p> 


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